A Way to Remember My Grandfather

Elbert Dalen Carpenter was pretty special.  My Grandfather, affectionately renamed Gumpy by my cousin Katie, was a family man.  He was humble, he worked hard and he loved to laugh.  If he liked you, then you were a friend for life.  Fortunately he liked just about everyone.  

Most of my significant memories of him come from my teenage years because he retired about the same time my dad left my mom.  Gumpy decided to step in and show me the way a man is suppose to treat his family.  I will always remember him for his patience with me and for the unconditional love he showed me.  When he passed away May 30, 2009; I tweeted that I had lost my best friend and hero.  I still mean that.  This blog is a way for me to remember him.  It is a way to honor him.  I hope you enjoy this blog and the stories of his life.

I named this blog Life with a Waldron Boy after his hometown because he always loved the little town he grew up in.  I hear tales from my mom and aunt that he would occationally stop on at the county line leading to Waldron and implore the kids to get out of the car so they could experience good clean air.  It's a story I hope one of them will tell soon.

And if you have a story about Gumpy, feel free to send me an e-mail so I can share it with the rest of the world.