Richard Wayne Carpenter, 96, of Salina died April 9, 2026 at Homestead Memory Care of Abilene. He was born February 8, 1930 in Emporia, KS, to Earnest and Rose (LaLoge) Carpenter, the tenth of their eleven children.
Dick, as he preferred to be called, grew up in Cottonwood Falls, KS, and graduated from Chase County High School in 1948. Following graduation, he worked as a farm hand in Del Norte, Colorado, before joining the Army in 1951 and serving with a construction battalion in South Korea.
On January 1, 1954, he married Frances LaVonne Christlieb. They were married for 58 years until her death in May of 2012.
Dick worked for several Safeway grocery stores throughout south-central Kansas before joining the one in Salina in 1966. He retired in 1988 when it closed; he then went to work part-time for the Buyers Guide in Salina until 2016.
Dick was an avid sportsman; he thrived on competition. For decades, he was a familiar face on Salina’s Municipal Golf course and qualified for Nationals in horseshoes with the Senior Olympics. He loved playing cards, dominoes, and Rummikub with family and friends. He was a talented woodworker, selling his creations for many years at Salina’s See-n-Sell each November. He enjoyed writing short stories and poems, and spending time with his cat, Happy.
Dick is survived by his children, Joy Owens (Bruce) of Berryton, KS, Gay Amon (Max) of Camdenton, MO, Alan Carpenter (Katrinka) of Salina, KS, and Curtis Carpenter (Carrie), of Gulfport, MS. He is also survived by nine grandchildren, Paul Gebhardt (Renee) of Salina, Kamra Gebhardt of Gladstone, MO, Nick Amon of Berryton, KS, Serena Kennedy (Brandon) of Baldwin City, KS, Sierra Amon (Nate Kern) of Lawrence, KS, Tosha Ince (Joe) of Ackley, IA, Tron Carpenter (Sabrina) of Falun, KS, Emily Carpenter of Tulsa, OK, and David Carpenter (Molly Kaup) of Lawrence, KS; and three great-grandchildren, Quinton Ince, and Kinsey and Addy Kennedy; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by wife Frances Carpenter; parents Ernest and Rose Carpenter; sisters Ruth Watchous, Alice Redick, M. Marie Adamson, Hazel Everett, and Lillian Davis; brothers Henry Carpenter, Kenneth Carpenter, Arnold Carpenter, Melvin “Bill” Carpenter, and Neal Carpenter, and one grandson, Sean Amon.
Memorials may be made to an animal rescue organization of your choosing, First Tee Salina, or Gentiva Hospice of Salina. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.