Major Kenneth B. Carpenter, USAF Retired. Born at Ft. Lewis, WA on June 8, 1933. As an Army brat, he and his family moved many times. At 12 years old, his family moved to post-war Germany 1945-48.  Ken joined the Air Force in 1951. He was happily married to his wife Mary for 64 years, and they had many tours of duty during his 22 years of service. As a command pilot, he was a highly decorated veteran, earning the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Distinguished Flying Cross. He was aircraft commander on KC-97s, KC-135s and the "Spooky" AC-47 gunships (aka "Puff the Magic Dragon"). In the Viet Nam War, he was shot down and managed to crash land the plane and save his crew. His loadmaster's bravery during that "Spooky 71" mission earned John Levitow the Congressional Medal of Honor. After retirement, Ken became an industrial safety expert, working for Oregon OSHA and Liberty Mutual for 18 years.  He continued to serve as a keynote speaker for the Air Force Spooky Brotherhood and various Air Force societies. Survivors: wife Mary, children Ann Jansen, Jim Carpenter, Dan Carpenter and 3 grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude's.

A graveside service for Ken will be Friday, November 27, 2020 at 10:00a.m. at Colonial Gardens Cemetery.