Emma Jean Carpenter's Obituary
Emma Jean Carpenter, born June 6, 1926 in Kent, Washington to Traugott and Elizabeth Pfaendler, passed away on October 15, 2009 due to complications following heart surgery. She was surrounded by her loving family and friends. Her two children, Roy (Karen) Marchesini and Margie Stevens, and four grandchildren continue to celebrate her life.
Emma Jean Pfaendler grew up on a dairy farm in Kent. She, her seven sisters, Elizabeth, Ann, Marguerite, Bertha, Cathy, Trudy, and Caroline, and her brother Joe grew up happy and hard-working. When she was 17, she met and married Roy Marchesini. They were married in 1944 and enjoyed 44 years of marriage.
Together, they owned and operated several businesses, including a beer distributorship in Olympia and a gas station in Tacoma. They had two children, Margie, born in 1947, and Roy, born in 1955.
Margie's marriage to Joe Stevens and Roy's marriage to Karen Shingledecker brought four grandchildren into the family -" Tony and Jeanne Stevens and Emily and Peter Marchesini.
Roy Marchesini passed away in 1989. Emma jean may have been on her own, but she was rarely alone. With her many friends, neighbors, and her close-knit family, she spent eight years enjoying life on her own terms, eventually meeting and marrying John Carpenter in 1997. At their wedding, Emma Jean was a blushing bride and danced the night away. Unfortunately, John left her side in 2004 due to his passing.
Emma Jean loved her family and friends more than anything. A big dinner or a game of cards, a lively conversation, and lots of laughter were prerequisites for being in her home. She was an active member of St. Ann's Catholic Church since moving to Tacoma in 1966. Later in life, she belonged to many social group including Secret Pal's, Bible Study Group, and Senior Lunch Group.
She walked the mall with her friends almost every morning. She played cards with a wide array of friends and family enjoying snacks and sharing laughter. She and her best friend and card painter, Gene Dugaw, would visit the Emerald Queen Casino every Saturday to play Keno -" they would always split their winnings. She loved to go eat dinner at her favorite restaurants with her favorite company.
Her family remained close throughout her entire life, three of her grandchildren are married, Emily to Travis Morris, Peter to Angie Hinshaw, and Tony to Kristy Bennett. She attended all of their weddings and welcomed her expanding family with open arms. Holidays and family gatherings were always filled with love, laughter, and stories. You could count on Emma Jean meeting you at her door lifting her hands to greet you with her singsong -Å"Hi.-
Emma Jean chose a life of love, laughter, patience, kindness, and optimism. She lived life with these values and elected to have heart surgery so that she could continue to live her life to the fullest. Due to unforeseeable complications, after three days of resilience and fighting, she passed away with her family and her best friend by her side.
She is loved a great deal by many, and she will be missed.
Her family wishes to share their heartfelt gratitude towards the nurses and doctors at Tacoma General's Cardiovascular ICU for working so hard to keep our beloved Emma Jean with us.
A viewing is a Mountain View Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 20th from 1:00 to 9:00 PM. A rosary will be said at St. Ann's Catholic Church at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 with funeral services following at 11:00.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. Ann's Catholic Church.
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