Our beautiful and loving mother, Judith A. Carpenter, passed on November 13, 2021. Born on May 14,1940 in Detroit, Michigan, Mom was the daughter of Grace Cernuto and Joseph Howell. After her father died in 1942, her mother remarried and Judy was adopted by the man she knew as her dad, Sam Catalano.

Mom grew up in San Diego, California and attended Mission Bay High School. She loved the era she grew up in and had an especially fond attachment to her Aunt Corky and Uncle Vince. Mom was shy and very pretty. Our dad nabbed her in short order after they met during a work function in San Diego. Mom couldn't wait to get out of her parents house, so that was that, and she and dad were married until his death in 2015. Together they had four children, Michael Carpenter (D), Michelle Carter of Peterborough, NH, Stacey Jacobs of Chuluota, FL, and Craig Carpenter of Port Orange, FL.

More than anything, Mom loved her 4 kids, 9 grandkids and 7 great grandchildren.  She also loved music and singing, shopping and skin care, eating out and watching Star Trek and sci fi with Craig.  And she really loved our Dad. She did not love the Pittsburgh Steelers or anyone she ever perceived hurt her kids or grandchildren. Mom was thrilled to be the matriarch of the Dwight Carpenter segment of our yearly family reunion, which takes place on the last Sunday of July in Union City, Indiana. This year, Dwight's family had the highest attendance at 120. Mom also enjoyed the occasional bloody mary, red beer and shot of tequila. Thank you to Mike and Pat Carpenter for being so good to her and to all family and friends who regularly checked in and shared the love. We will miss her more than we can put into words. She was a good mama.