Elva S. Carpenter

Exeter – Elva S. Carpenter, 99, of Exeter, and former longtime resident of Rye, passed away peacefully, surrounded by those she loved, on Thursday, October 26, 2023. Elva was born in Worcester, MA on June 26, 1924, the daughter of Raymond and Goldie (Davis) Stevens. She shared over 69 years of marriage with her beloved late husband, George E. Carpenter who died in 2015. Elva graduated from Smith College in 1946. A member of the greatest generation, and upon the insistence of her mother, she took to writing a young airman serving in the Pacific theatre in the Army Air Corps during World War 2. Little did she know that it would culminate in marriage to her beloved George, lasting 69 years until his death. Elva, a talented seamstress and bookkeeper, teamed up with George to take on the interior design industry through the family business they began and operated right up to their retirement, The Home Center of Rye. There were few things Elva enjoyed more while she was relaxing than doing a good crossword puzzle or reading from her stack of library books. She handily completed the NY Times Sunday crossword puzzle every Sunday afternoon in just a couple of hours, right up until the end of her life. Elva also was an accomplished knitter. Her family members all wear her beautiful sweaters to this day. She and George loved to travel and spent time seeing many of the sights around the world, such as Egypt, Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean, bringing back pictures and stories of their adventures together. She opened her home to family and friends from around the world. Elva’s grandson, Ethan, captured her well: “Our family’s unflappable Yankee matriarch, Elva Carpenter passed away peacefully yesterday at 99 years old. Grammy loved lobster rolls, scotch, blueberry picking, birdwatching, knitting, and walks in the woods. She never cared for shopping. She was crossword whiz who wrote her answers in pen. She graduated from Smith College, a rarity for women in her generation. We’ll miss you, Grammy; thanks for sticking around so long.” Elva is survived by her four children, Steven (and Marty) Carpenter of Vinalhaven, ME, Bill (and Ginny) Carpenter of York, ME, Ann (and Tom) Hawkes of Fernandina Beach, FL, and Jean (and Bob) Whittet of Rye, NH, she was a grandmother to eleven and a great grandmother to seventeen. A memorial service will be held at 4:30 PM on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, at the Rye Congregational Church, 580 Washington Rd., Rye, NH 03870.

Elva S. Carpenter

June 26, 1924 - October 26, 2023