Douglas Carpenter, 79

Douglas Alfred Carpenter, 79, of Elkton, Minnesota, passed away Wednesday, October 2, 2024.

Doug was born on July 24, 1945 to Harley and Marjorie (Muir) Carpenter in Toledo, Ohio. Doug graduated from Bowling Green High School in 1963 and became a jack of all trades. His pride and joy during his high school years was his 1964 blue Chevrolet Chevelle.

On February 27, 1965, Doug married Beverly Anne Ehmke in the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Pemberville, Ohio. They settled in Portage, Ohio until Doug joined his father in the family farming operation in Bowling Green, Ohio. In 1975, they purchased the family farm and moved to Bowling Green. Doug often traveled to Minnesota to visit his first cousins. During these visits, he appreciated the wide-open fields and small communities and wanted to ensure that his family would always have land to farm. Over a period of ten (10) years, Doug purchased farmland around Elkton, Minnesota. In 1982, Doug moved his family to Elkton, Minnesota.

Doug was a farmer to his core. He loved crop farming, cattle, and machinery. He was a collector of John Deere 2-cylinder tractors, which he proudly displayed several times a year. For several years, Doug hosted a two-cylinder plow day event where neighbors, friends and family brought their tractors and plows to plow the wheat fields. He also has an impressive collection of limited-edition toy tractors.

Doug and Bev liked to travel (only in the non-farming months) around the United States seeing different sights and farming operations. They started traveling to Florida in 2011, first by motorhome and then purchased a home at Fort Myers Beach. During their years at Indian Creek, Doug made lifelong friends and was part of the ‘Liars’ coffee shop group. Their porch was always open to visitors and he was always ready to visit with anyone that would stop by. He enjoyed the beach, day trip to Immokalee (the farmer’s market), and traveling around Florida to see the sights. If anyone asked him if he liked to go to Florida, you might have heard him say “that’s BS” but he learned to love being there and visiting with his friends.

In the past few years, Doug’s health kept him from doing the thing that he loved most, but he never missed an opportunity to go outside and enjoy his farm. Doug loved and enjoyed his family and marveled at what he and Bev started almost sixty years ago.

Doug was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Don and Paul, and a sister, Winifred.

Doug is survived by his loving wife, Beverly; three children, Michael (Kris) Carpenter, Portage, OH, Julie (Craig) Hanson of Elkton, MN, and Matthew (Amy) Carpenter, of Grand Meadow, MN; nine grandchildren, Jordon (Amber) Hanson, Nick Carpenter, Kristina (Jordan) Heimer, Natalie (Adam) Clark, Paige (Karsen) Ulwelling, Jonathan (Laura) Hanson; Zachary (Lexi) Carpenter; Jacob Carpenter and Joshua Carpenter and nine great-grandchildren, Clara, Rhett, Charlie, Everett, Rylan, Isabelle, Gideon, Kinley and Claire; three siblings, Joyce (Gene) Knepper, Tucson, AZ, Judy (Tom) Patton, Troy, MI, and Phil (Joyce) Carpenter, Tallahassee, Florida.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, October 8th at Little Cedar Lutheran Church with the Reverend Jeremy Johnson officiating. Visitation will be at the Adams Funeral Home on Monday from 4-7 pm and at the church Tuesday morning one hour prior to the service. Interment will be in Marshall Lutheran Cemetery.

Memorials are preferred to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, the Southland Food Shelf, Marshall Lutheran or Little Cedar Lutheran Church.