Tom W. Carpenter Jr.

Tom W. Carpenter Jr., born March 4, 1926 in Iowa Park, Texas, to Tom W. Carpenter Sr. and Effie Virginia (Gardner) Carpenter, passed away Thursday, November 19, 2020, in Decatur, Texas.

He spent His early life in Abilene, Texas, and graduated from Abilene High School in 1943. Tom attended Texas AM before entering the military service in the U.S. Army in 1944. He attended Infantry Officers Candidate School, The Parachute School and Army Aviation Flight School before being released from service with the 82nd Airborne Division in 1946. He began his lifelong career in the sales of Heavy Equipment in 1946 when he joined his father in Tom W. Carpenter Equipment Company in Amarillo, Texas. Tom liked to say that Amarillo was the center of his territory — which extended 2,000 miles in every direction. Tom particularly followed the Pipe Line Construction industry and amassed 22,000 hours of flight time flying company aircraft to service his customer’s worldwide.

In 1969 Tom joined ParksDavis Auctioneers of Dallas, Texas where he marketed their auction service nationally and internationally. Tom pioneered the auction sales method of selling construction equipment in the Middle East in 1978 and was in charge of disposal of the huge amount of surplus equipment, parts and support equipment from the construction of the Trans Alaska Pipeline.

In 1984 Tom joined in partnership with J.W. Gully to form Sunbelt Equipment Marketing to lease construction equipment to the Pipe Line industry. After retiring from Sunbelt in 1991, Tom devoted his time to appraisals of construction equipment and to the family ranching operation established by his grandfather in the Jack County Texas the 1890s. Tom was a member of the International Society of Appraisers; the Texas Auctioneers Association and associate member of the Pipe Line Contractors Association for over 60 years and was elected Honorary Member in 2009.

Tom was preceded in death by his grandchildren, Larry Carpenter and Keri Nebgen, and great grandchild, Wyatt Nebgen.

He is survivedby his wife of 46 years, Elaine; stepdaughter Susan Chamberlain; daughter Carole Lee Carpenter; daughter Marilyn Kim Carpenter; son Tom W. Carpenter III and wife Peggy; son Kenneth G. Carpenter and wife Joni; grandson Jesse N. Carpenter and wife Jessica, granddaughters Sierra Arambula and husband Robert, Cambra Carpenter, Julie Ann Moreno and husband Franco and Christie Buffington; and grandson-in-law Gary Nebgen and wife Melissa; 13 great grandchildren and a great great grandchild.

Graveside Services were held 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23, at Oakwood Cemetery in Jacksboro, Texas.

Memorials may be made to the Jacksboro Animal Shelter do City of Jacksboro 112 West Belknap, Jacksboro, TX 76458.