Richard Lee "Dick" Carpenter Sr.

Richard Lee “Dick” Carpenter Sr. of Elloree, quietly slipped the bonds of Earth in the early morning hours of Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at the home of his son and daughter-in-law in Santee. A funeral service celebrating his life will be held Friday, September 4, 2026 at 2 p.m. in the chapel of Avinger Funeral Home in Holly Hill with the Rev. C. Clark McCrary III officiating. Burial will follow in Hungerpiller Cemetery in Elloree.

Dick was born July 15, 1938 in Talatha, the fourth son of Ernest Meldrim Carpenter and Catherine Hungerpiller Carpenter. When he was seven, his family moved to Tybee Island, Georgia, which he described in his later years as the place he spent some of his happiest times. At the age of 14 he went to live with his grandparents, Charles and Lorlie Hungerpiller and aunt, Lois Hungerpiller, on their farm near Elloree. He said he learned very quickly that living on a farm meant milking the cow, chopping wood, and feeding animals before school, and that there was no respite from those chores on the weekend. He always described that time fondly and said it played an important role in shaping him as a man. While attending Elloree High School he developed an interest in music and was encouraged to take voice lessons. In 1956 he made his singing debut on a local radio station, and after graduating from Elloree High School in 1957 continued to perform occasionally on local radio programs. Singing always brought him great joy, whether soloing in church, at weddings or simply singing to his grandchildren, it remained a constant throughout his life.

In 1958 he married his high school sweetheart, Genevieve Dantzler, and together they had two sons, Dr. Richard Lee Carpenter Jr. and Robert Dean Carpenter. After his wife’s death in 2004 he found a longtime companion in Jacqueline Berry, and they enjoyed many happy years together.

Dick wore many hats and had many roles throughout his life: farmer, dispatcher for the S.C. Highway Patrol, plant manager at R.C. Cola, and lastly, owner of Val’s Dry Cleaners and Laundromat in Elloree. However, he will be remembered most importantly, as loving father, father-in-law and “Papa.”

Dick was a lifelong member of Elloree First Baptist Church, was a member of the S.C. National Guard, and former Jaycee.

He is survived by his son, Rick, and daughter-in-law, Liz; three grandchildren, Rachel Cooper (Seth) and Katie Carpenter (Duncan Crotwell) and Dr. Charles Carpenter (Dr. Esther Balogh), and three great grandchildren, Emma Cooper, Ada Cooper and Eleanora Carpenter; a younger brother, William Carpenter (Audrey); numerous nieces and nephews; and loving companion, Jacqueline Berry.

In addition to his parents, Dick was preceded in death by his wife; son, Dean; and older brothers: Bob, Jack and Roy.

The family will receive friends at Avinger Funeral Home at 1 p.m. prior to the funeral service.

Memorials may be made to Hungerpiller Cemetery, c/o 262 Horse Pond Road, Elloree, South Carolina 29047.

The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to Myra Ardis, RN and Kesia Green, CNA of Gentiva Hospice, and Bernice Cotton for the loving care they provided Dick during his final days.

Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at avingerfh.com/. 

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Avinger Funeral Home, 2274 Eutaw Rd, Holly Hill, SC 29059, (803)496-3434.