Louis Carpenter, 98, died Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at MeritCare Northwest Campus in Thief River Falls, MN.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, August 30, 2008 at St. Bernards Catholic Church in Thief River Falls, MN with Monsignor Timothy McGee presiding. Burial will follow at Dorothy Cemetery, Dorothy, MN.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM with a 7:00 PM prayer service on Friday, August 29, 2008 at St. Bernards Catholic Church in Thief River Falls, MN. Visitation will also be held for one hour prior to the funeral at the church.

Louis Carpenter was born in Dorothy, MN on April 11, 1910 the son of Joseph and Josephine (Peppin) Carpenter. He was baptized and confirmed into the catholic faith at St. Dorothy Catholic Church in Dorothy, MN and attended elementary school in Dorothy. Louis left school after the 5th grade to work. At the age of 13 he had his own team and wagon and hauled grain bundles for local farmers. He also cut pulp in the woods and baled prairie hay to sell to the stockyards in St. Paul MN.

On January 5, 1932 Louis was united in marriage to Gertrude Gertie Veenstra in Crookston, MN. Gertie was from the town of Shirley, MN, just north of Crookston. In 1936 he and Gertie moved a house from St. Hilaire, MN to Numedal Township that is now Carpenters Corner which was opened on July 7, 1936. Some time after the opening of Carpenters Corner, Numedal Township appointed Louie Township Constable after seeing that he could take care of problems at the bar. During the depression Louie also drove gravel truck, kept baling hay, even bootlegged a little to keep the wolf away from the door. In the 1940s Louie started breaking prairie sod, went to farming, and also traveled around with his Model A ford, taking up donations for the war effort. He also raised cattle and milked cows.

In 1947 Carpenters barn was built and they had old time barn dances upstairs twice a week for many years. With his wife and three sons, all these enterprises at the same time " the bar " farm " dances " and even sponsored and caught his own Carpenters Corner baseball team. Louie always said he played ball until the boys were too old to play. He worked for some time in the 1970s in the fiberglass department at Arctic Cat.

Louie retired from farming in 1985. He would continue doing cultivating for neighbors " just for fuel until he could no longer physically do so. The bar is still open and with much help from family and patrons he was able to be there until 2006. He was a great Twins fan and loved hunting and was a farmer to the end.

Louie, Gertie and Clark took great pleasure in helping Dennis and Randy with their race horses. They cared for the horses in their absence and would travel to Canada and any state where they were racing at the time. Together Louie and Clark took care of the farm, backhoe business and any other projects while Dennis and Randy were out gallivanting around the race track.

Survivors include three sons, Dennis (Christi) Carpenter, Randy (Jeannie) Carpenter of Thief River Falls, MN, and Clark (Sadie) Carpenter of Hamilton, MT; 14 grandchildren; 21 great grandchildren; and 7 great great grandchildren; special friend, Alyce Sevre of St. Hilaire, MN; foster daughter, Kay Arver of Minneapolis, MN; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Louie is preceded in death by his wife, Gertie; daughter, Dina; brother and sisters, Laura Casavan, Delvina Casavan, Mabel Weiland, Henry Carpenter, and Rosie, Leaha and Pearl in infancy.

Organist: Laura Brickson
Cantor: Shelly Burkel
Pallbearers: Jerry Hermreck, Mike Anderson, Steve Dunrud, Bruce Bjorgaard, Wally Suronen, Matt Homme, Kenny Kalsnes
Honorary Pallbearers: Grandsons, All of Louies patrons and his friends & neighbors.