Gene Arthur Carpenter

Gene Arthur Carpenter, 82 of Ft. Myers, Florida, passed away on February 13, 2021, at his home. He was born April 22, 1938, in Parkersburg, West Virginia of Wayne and Virginia Johnson Carpenter. He was predeceased by his parents and brother, Glen Carpenter. He is survived by his wife, DiAnne Wix Carpenter; his daughter, Teresa Sizemore and her husband Tom Sizemore, his daughters, Karyn Carpenter and Stefani Carpenter; his stepchildren, Elizabeth Postlewaite and her partner Scott, Scott Lockhart and his wife Melanie; his grandchildren, Josh Sizemore and his fiancé Kelsi, Jessie Sizemore and her boyfriend Jake, Sky Sargent, Samantha Ghezelbash and her husband Ash Ghezelbash, Madison Postlewaite, Chancellor Postlewaite, Lincoln Postlewaite, Louis Goodnow, Quinlan Lockhart, Simon Lockhart, Levi Shuman and his partner Cheyenne, and Josh Shuman; and his great-grandchildren, Evony Postlewaite, Nora Shuman, and Beaumont Ghezelbash.

Gene grew up and lived in Belpre, Ohio, until retirement in 1997. He started working as soon he got his first bike by delivering newspapers in Belpre, Ohio. As a teenager, Gene worked in the tomato field and at an open-air market where in his own words, he learned his “life skills.” He was also an American Boy Scout and camp counselor. Gene also excelled athletically, and lettered all four years of high school in track, basketball, and football at Belpre High School. Gene went on to play collegiate basketball for two years at Ohio University. As a young man, Gene continued to play summer basketball with some of the outstanding college players of his day. Sports were a lifelong love for Gene, and his sports knowledge and trivia, including predictions for up-and-coming players from the high school to college level, were rarely surpassed by another person and was certainly up-to-par with experts in the field.

After college, he returned to Belpre, Ohio, where he was hired at E.I. Dupont Washington Works, where he worked for 39 years in mechanical instruments and personnel while he raised his family.

Always a promoter of children and youth development, Gene was on the recreation commission in Belpre, Ohio, and was instrumental in creating the Belpre Civilian Little League, building baseball fields in Belpre, Ohio, and running the little league in his community for many years. He was a member and President of the Belpre Board of Education, and a 50-year member of the Masonic Lodge in Belpre, Ohio.

For 30 years, Gene officiated high school and small college basketball and football in West Virginia and Ohio. He was also President of the Ohio Association of Basketball Officials from 1981 – 1982. To his family’s delight, he saved those earnings each year to provide a two-week family vacation at Myrtle Beach, which his three daughters looked forward to every year.

Later in life, Gene took up golf and his enjoyment for golf never ceased, whether he was golfing with friends at the Parkersburg Country Club (where he had five holes in one!), or whether he was enjoying a round on the green at Cypress Lake Golf Club in Ft. Myers, Florida, during his retirement. True to his hard-working nature, Gene also enjoyed the many years he spent in retirement as a golf ranger at Bonita Bay Club.

Gene was also an avid Ohio State Buckeyes fan where his daughters Teresa and Karyn are alumni, and a follower of the West Virginia Mountaineers in support of his multiple grandchildren who attended university there. Whether in support of their sport teams or in any venture in their personal lives, Gene took great pride in his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and was the epitome of a family man. This love extended infinitely to his wife, DiAnne, who according to his family, always put a twinkle in his eye.

A devout Christian, Gene was a lifelong member of St. Marks Methodist Church in Belpre, Ohio, and an associate member of Cypress Lake United Methodist Church in Ft. Myers, Florida.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. EST at Cypress Lake United Methodist Church in Ft. Myers, Florida. The service will also be streamed live, which can be accessed via the church’s website: www.cypresslakeumc.com. A burial and celebration of life will be held in Ohio in the spring.

In lieu of flowers please donate to your favorite charity of choice.