Sue Carpenter

Sue Carpenter, of Little Rock, passed away peacefully in her sleep on May 17, 2021.

Sue was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1946. She was the first child and only daughter of Fred and Margaret Ward. Her brother, Terry, was born in 1947. She immediately took charge of him and was ever his protector, even balling out an adult neighbor who lost control of his motorcycle and crashed into a fence knocking her brother out cold. She was a good student, earning As and Bs. She graduated from Will Rogers High School in 1964.

Although interested in college, her dad only agreed to pay for beauty school. She attended cosmetology school and became a hairstylist. She took a job as a secretary at the U.S. Jaycees in 1970. There, she met Ed Carpenter and they married in November 1971.

Sue and Ed started a family in 1973, with the birth of their son Edward Joe Carpenter Jr. Their daughter, Rebecca Janette Carpenter, was born in 1976.

About this time, Sue began a career in Tupperware sales, a job that allowed her to be at home with her young son and daughter during the day. A naturally sociable person, she excelled in sales and became a manager and won several awards during her three decades of helping people—including family, relatives, and friends—learn how to “burp” their Tupperware seals.

Sue was ever present in her kids’ lives, attending ballet and tap dance recitals as well as all manner of sporting events—where she was inevitably the loudest parent cheering.

She encouraged her kids' education, setting high standards and enrolled them in innovative schools that broke barriers when it came to college preparation and race relations and integration.

She opened new worlds and cultures to the family when she encouraged her son and daughter to apply to host foreign exchange students in middle and high school. Students from Japan, Denmark, and Germany lived with the family and they and their families remained lifelong friends with international visits back and forth. For a time, she even became an exchange student organizer, placing dozens of students from around the world with host families in Tulsa.

Sue moved to Little Rock, AR in 1991, when Ed landed a new software programmer job. Sue and Ed were married for 45 years, until his passing in 2017. She was very proud of her children, and loved spending time with her three grandchildren: Dylan, Vivienne, and Mateo.

Immediate surviving family are: brother Terry, Virginia Beach, VA; son Edward, Oakland, CA; daughter Rebecca, Little Rock, AR; daughter-in-law Anne Geis, Oakland, CA; grandchildren Dylan, Vivienne, and Mateo.

A private, outdoor memorial will be held on Thursday, June 10 at 2:00 p.m. at Maumelle Park, 9009 Pinnacle Valley Rd, pavilion No. 5. A reception will follow at the same location. For everyone’s safety, COVID-19 face masks will be encouraged.

Should you feel so moved, you may send flowers to Smith Little Rock Funeral Home at the link below and make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association.