Doris Isabell Phillips Carpenter
November 10, 1923 - May 28, 2021
It is said that the dates themselves aren't as important as the dash between them. Doris' "dash" was indeed spectacular!
Born in Huntington Beach, Orange County California, to Raymond Wade Phillips, at the time a Blacksmith, and to Rose Yost Phillips, a housewife. Doris attended
Brea Linda High School where she was an "A" student. Eligible to attend college, family finances were not such that she could. She went to work for the Bank of
America as a teller and promoted to head of the financial dept. due to her excellent math skills, dependability and responsibility. Those traits never left her
as her life progressed through so many adventures, trials and triumphs.
She met the love of her life, Ralph Edward Carpenter, Senior year in high school. What started out as a great friendship, resulted in a 49 year long marriage that
was as strong and sweet as any I've seen. Their union created three sons - Gary Ray, Ted Allen and Daniel Charles. Sadly, Gary and Ted passed away in 2016,
within 8 days of eachother. The worst nightmare for a mother to outlive her children. But their lives were full of adventure as Dad joined the Army and they all
traveled all over the U.S. and to their favorite place, Panama. Doris was the perfect military wife, keeping things strong and calm on the homefront when
Ralph was away and supporting him 100% in all he did. She was certainly one of "The Greatest Generation" as Tom Brokaw has defined in his book of the same name.
There wasn't anything Doris couldn't do! Except, by her own admission, make fudge or cook fish. She knitted, crocheted, needlepointed, tatted, canned, oil
painted, sewed, hooked rugs, baked,......and to top it all off, at the age of 70, after Ralph's parting, she became a travel agent at Mission Travel in Oroville, CA.
This entailed her flying to Texas by herself to go to school to learn the business, including the computer!!! What a woman!!! She loved this career and it
afforded her the opportunity to travel worldwide, which she dearly loved. Camel rides, Kodiak trips, helicopter rides...the more exciting the better! Speaking of
which, on her 72nd birthday, she made a tandem parachute jump! With a knee replacement at that! And, if that wasn't enough, she had a ride home in the
sidecar of her son, Ted's, motorcycle! That, she exclaimed, was scarier than the jump!
To say that this woman inspired all of us is an understatement. We loved her as a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, but we also valued her as an
exceptional person...actually, an ordinary person who did extraordinary things.
Doris is survived by her son, Daniel Charles, DILS Bonnie Carpenter and Laura Garns, grandchildren Nathaniel, Keith, Amber and Justin; great-grandchildren
Matthew, Zachariah, Ariana, Savannah, Gabriel, Sienna and Asher.
Doris loved Jesus and is now home for eternity with Him. We who believe in Him shall see her again! Hallelujah!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
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