Eugene “Gene” W. Carpenter, 82, of Beaumont, passed away Saturday, September 14, 2013, at Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth, Beaumont. Born in New Hampton, Iowa, on May 28, 1931, he was the son of Lorraine Eva Savener Carpenter and Warren Noble Carpenter.
Gene moved to San Antonio in 1921 and was a bat boy for the San Antonio Missions Double A minor league baseball team. Gene graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, where he excelled in several sports. He attended Lamar Junior College and at the age of seventeen enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Gene was stationed in San Diego, California, where he played basketball against colleges and other armed services. After his discharge from the Marines, he attended Fort Lewis College and Lamar Tech.
He met Dolores Mae Cowart in the summer of 1952, and they were married that December, they were married for over sixty years.
Gene was employed by the City of Beaumont, Police Department from September 1954 to September 1967 and attained the rank of Sergeant. In 1967, he was employed by Lamar University and established the University Police Department as Chief of Police in 1967. He was a member of Texas Police Association; National Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators; Texas and New Mexico Association of College and University Police Departments (Past President, Life Member) Southeast Texas Law Enforcement Council. Upon retirement, the Lamar University Police Department consisted of twenty six full-time employees with a budget in the excess of $500,000. He was a bailiff from 1994-2011 for the Grand Jury of Jefferson County.
Survivors include his wife, Dolores Carpenter of Beaumont; son, Ken Carpenter and his wife, Paula, of Holly Lake Ranch; daughter, Susan Turner and her husband, James, of Conway, Arkansas and Julie Ford and her husband, Keith, of Lumberton; grandchildren, Koree Carpenter, Stacey Larkin, Patrick Turner, Kelly Dement, Allison Turner, Cody Small, Dustin Ford, and Tyler Ford; great-granddaughter, Aubrey Small.
He is preceded in death by his parents; brother, Harry Carpenter; and sisters, Mary Louise Rios and Carmen Smith.
A gathering of Mr. Carpenter’s family and friends will be from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 18, 2013, at Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont. His funeral service will be 11:00 a.m., Thursday, September 19, 2013, at Broussard’s, with interment to follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Beaumont.
Memorial contributions may be made to The 100 Club of Southeast Texas, P.O. Box 3405, Beaumont, Texas 77704; or a charity of one’s choice.
His family wishes to thank his caregiver, Mary Hall, for all the wonderful care and love she provided. We couldn’t have done it without her.
