Susan Carpenter

Susan Dianne Harrell Carpenter

A celebration of life is planned for some time in the spring in Austin, where many of Susan’s friends and family still reside. The time and place will be announced at a later date.

Susan Dianne Harrell Carpenter died peacefully at her home in Lamar on September 23, 2023. Susan was born to Wallace Eugene Harrell and Betty Frank Harrell on January 7, 1960 in Austin, TX. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Computer Information Systems degree from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos in 1982 and immediately started her career in computer programming in Houston. In 1987 she moved to Austin to do programming work for the Texas State Comptroller, where she met Kirk Carpenter from Lamar, CO. Susan and Kirk were married in 1991 and had one son, Shawn Dylan Carpenter in 1997 (LHS class of 2015), who was the light of Susan’s life.

In 2007 Susan, Shawn and Kirk moved to Lamar, where Susan pursued her love of teaching. She taught 8th grade math in Granada, CO 2008-2009, and taught math and computer technology at Lamar Community College from 2009-2015, while also working in the tutoring lab. After she quit teaching she remained a vibrant presence in the Lamar area, with ex-students continually approaching her to thank her for her years of service. She instilled in Shawn a love of learning that persists to this day.

Susan was preceded in death by her father, Wallace Harrell in 1975.

 She is survived by Kirk Carpenter, her husband of 32 years, her son Shawn of Boulder, CO, her mother Betty Frank, her sister Linda Hoff, and nieces Stephanie Jones and Tiffany Dodson and their children, all of whom reside in Arkansas.

Susan was an amazingly outgoing and friendly person who will be deeply missed by all whose lives she touched. She had hundreds of friends on Facebook with whom she loved staying in touch from throughout her life, most of whom have posted beautiful tributes to the person they knew her to be.