Mary Katherine Carpenter

Mary Katherine “Aunt Jellie” Carpenter passed away peacefully at her residence in Plano on Thursday, December 9, 2010 at the age of 99. She was born on April 16, 1911 in Collin County, the daughter of Frank E. Fletcher and Alice Cox Fletcher. She grew up on a farm which is now the location of the Plano Family YMCA in Legacy. The tree she used to swing on as a little girl is still there. She and her brother rode horses to the community school, Barksdale, but when the weather was nice, they made the three mile walk. She graduated from high school in 1929 along with her best friend Maxine Miller. She remarked in a recent newspaper article that it was rare for girls to graduate in those days. She was married to Bert Carpenter, better know as “Buddy”. The Carpenters had no children so they were like an extra set of parents to the future Carmen Haggard, who later became one of Mary Katherine’s caretakers. Both the Haggards and the Carpenters are among Plano’s earliest settlers.

Aunt Jellie is survived by 5 nieces; Carmen Haggard and Carolyn Neeley, both of Plano, Gene Brinlee of Ravinia and Frances Lea of Fort Worth and Terri Tuladhor of Dallas and by one nephew Russell Carpenter of Detroit, TX. Her special extended family that mourns her passing are Hurley and Dorothy Medlock of Florence, TX., Barry and Patsy Medlock of Fredericksburg, TX., Vicki Mauldin of Oklahoma and Bill and Brent Wray of Plano and Mike Poss of Dallas. Also surviving are numerous grand nieces and grand nephews.

Visitation will be on Sunday afternoon from 2 until 4 pm at the Ted Dickey Funeral Home at 18th and Jupiter. A memorial service celebrating her life will be held on Monday, December 13, 2010 at 2pm at the First Christian Church in Plano. Officiating clergy will be Dr. Doug Deuel and Reverend Shannon Grubbs. The family suggests that memorial may be made to the First Christian Church of Plano or to the charity of your choice.