News

By Steven J. Smith

    DELRAY BEACH — If you want an example of a life fully lived, look no further than the life of Suzanne “Barbara” Hayward Carpenter.
    Born in New Orleans, La., on Nov. 16, 1922, Mrs. Carpenter and her family moved to New York when she was 10. When she grew up, she made her mark in the real estate business in Connecticut. A first marriage yielded two children, Kenny and Ashton. Her second marriage, to Frank Carpenter, lasted 57 years and produced two more children, Tim and Hilary.
    Tom Lynch, the former mayor of Delray Beach who is married to Hilary, said his mother-in-law’s union with Frank Carpenter, a vice president of Shulton Inc. (the owner of Old Spice), was a wonderful match.
    “Frank’s territory was international, so they traveled together all over the world and were very happy together,” he said. “Barbara was one of the most astute people I ever met. She had the tremendous ability to read people. She had a true Darwinistic type of philosophy. She adapted well to change and to adversity, which occurred a lot in her life. Her son Ashton was killed in Vietnam. She had back surgery several times, a shoulder replaced, two hips replaced. I never heard her complain. She smiled all the time — a very positive, uplifting, optimistic person.”
    Lynch said his mother-in-law was an accomplished athlete, excelling at tennis and golf. In her later years, she mastered bridge and developed into a talented painter, displaying many works at the Gulf Stream Golf Club in Gulf Stream.
    “She had all of her faculties and applied them to her many interests,” he said. “I used to buy her a book and bring it to her on a Saturday. She’d bring it back to me on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning, ready to discuss it. When she was 88, I bought her a Kindle. She loved it and would read e-books voraciously on it. She was even capable of driving a car up to a year ago.”
    Mrs. Carpenter died peacefully on Dec. 28, at the age of 92 because of  complications of pulmonary disease. Local services were held on Jan. 4, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Delray Beach and the funeral and internment took place on Jan. 7 at Christ Church in Greenwich, Conn. In lieu of flowers, the family asked for donations to benefit Hospice of Palm Beach County, which aided Mrs. Carpenter significantly in her final days.
    “In the last week of her life, hospice was called in to take over,” Lynch said. “Before that, hospice was available whenever needed. They helped her while she stayed at home, as they had helped Frank about seven years earlier.”
    Lynch said his mother-in-law was feisty and energetic right up until the end of her life.
    “At one point she nearly went into a coma and was taken to the hospital,” he said. “We all rushed there to see her, only to discover her sitting up in bed, doing crossword puzzles. The doctor came in and said, ‘Barbara, I thought you’d be dead.’ She responded, ‘Doctor, where did you get your degree, anyway?’ She had a wonderful sense of humor.”