Thelma R. Carpenter, 93, died July 11, 2017, at Brookdale Senior Living, Great Bend. She was born Nov. 24, 1923, at Ozawkie, the daughter of Levi Church and Rachael Ruth (Hurt) Noble. She graduated from Rock Creek High School and attended radio school in Topeka. She married Neal Russell Carpenter Jan. 30, 1943, at Cottonwood Falls.  He died August 24, 2015. She worked at Pratt-Whitney in Kansas City during World War II. She moved to Albuqurque, N.M., where she worked at Dillards and retired from Sandia National Laboratory. She moved to Great Bend in 1988, where she was a member of Liberty FCE and Lions.

She enjoyed the outdoors, gardening, travelling, reading and hand crafts.

Survivors include one son, Donald Carpenter and his wife Cheryl of Rio Rancho, N.M.; two daughters, Billie Bonomo of Claflin, and Joyce Hagan and her husband Everett of Rio Rancho, N.M.; two sisters, Shirley Sackschewsky and her husband Marvin of Great Bend, and Donna Ward of Oskaloosa; seven grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband of 74 years, Neal Carpenter; two sons-in-law, Robert Hetu and Robert Bonomo; one sister, Anna Cooper; one brother, Warren Noble; three brothers-in-law, Carl Metzger, Carl Ward and Edward Cooper; and one sister-in-law, Jean Noble.