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

He spent His early life in Abilene and graduated from Abilene High School in 1943. Tom attended Texas A&M 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 life long career in the sales of Heavy Equipment in 1946 when he joined his father in Tom W Carpenter Equipment Company in Amarillo. 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 world wide.

In 1969 Tom joined Parks-Davis Auctioneers of Dallas 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 Jack County since 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 survived today by 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 grand-son-in-law Gary Nebgen and wife Melissa; 13 great grandchildren and 1 great great grandchild.

Graveside Services were held Monday, Nov. 23, 2020 at Oakwood Cemetery in Jacksboro.

Memorials may be made to the Jacksboro Animal Shelter c/o City of Jacksboro, 112 West Belknap Jacksboro, Texas 76458.