- Date Of Birth: July 17, 1940
- Date Of Death: September 5, 2020
- State: Indiana
Julia Ann (Davis) Carpenter, age 80, passed away on September 5, 2020, at the IU Hospice House and will be dearly missed by her family and friends.
Ann was the daughter of Leona (Medley) Davis and William B. (Bill) Davis of Mt. Tabor, Monroe County, Indiana, the youngest of seven children. She was the matriarch of a loving, close-knit family. Ann was a faithful wife, loving mother and grandmother, and a loyal friend.
Ann married Russell Carpenter in 1958. They are survived by their four children; Bill (Marie) Carpenter, Dan Carpenter, Jeanne Carpenter, and Stan (Jennie) Carpenter. Eleven grandchildren; Joshua Kelley (Abie), Blaise Carpenter (Audrey), Cheyanne Martin, Marguerite Carpenter, Seth Carpenter, Charles Carpenter, Davis Carpenter, Thomas Carpenter, Luke Carpenter, Alec Carpenter, and Sean Carpenter, plus four great grandchildren, Russell Leo Martin, Henri Lee Carpenter, Marcel James Carpenter, and Catherine Joan Kelley. Brother-in-law, Gary (Kathryn) Carpenter, and special nieces and nephews.
Ann was preceded in death by her husband, Russ, her parents, her brothers; Bob, Charlie, and John Davis. Half-sisters, Mae Childers and Mary Whitaker, and half-brother, Ben Davis.
Her home was always open and welcome to everyone who needed love or a place to stay. Ann’s children were always bringing home friends for dinner and to spend the night. Several stayed for periods ranging from a few months to few years; including, Charlie Houser, Heidi (nee Hamilton) Brown, Chip Saunders, and her nephew Jim Davis. The house was not only open to locals, but many college friends of Ann’s children found it their home-away-from-home knowing their surrogate mother would welcome them with open arms and a home-cooked meal. This is a testament to our Mom’s kindness and generosity.
Our Mother truly lived by the Golden Rule; “do onto others as you would have them do unto you”, an example she set for her family. Our Mother, was very active in the community and the activities of her children. She also found time for herself and was an accomplished bridge player, loved to golf, read, cook and garden, as she loved flowers. However, her true loves were family and friends to whom she was devoted. She had a multitude of special friends too numerous to list. She always told us “to have a friend, you must be a friend”, and she lived by that motto.
Ann was a member of The Arlington United Methodist Church, Daughters of The American Colonists, The American Legion, Ladies Auxiliary, The Elks Club, The IU Varsity Club (from where she retired in 2000), The IU Hoosier Hundred, The 1820 Society of the IU Foundation, a 30-year member of the Cascades Ladies Golf Club, and was currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame. Ann was an inductee into the Indiana Babe Ruth Hall of Fame along with her husband, Russ, in 1979, the first lady to ever receive this honor.
