Historical records matching Melvin Edward Carpenter
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About Melvin Edward Carpenter
He attended Muncy High School in Muncy, PA before entering the service on May 18, 1944 at the age of 17. He served in the U.S. Navy and was stationed on several vessels, most notably the USS J. William Ditter (DM 31) as a sonar man. During the Battle of Okinawa in the Pacific Theater, the ship was heavily damaged from an assault by a Japanese suicide bomber. Mel was awarded the Purple Heart and was honorably discharged on June 5, 1946. After the war he attended Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA for three semesters.
Following his marriage in 1946 Mel studied at the Boston School of Anatomy, Sanitary Science and Embalming, graduating in 1951. As a licensed funeral director, he first worked at the Russell Funeral Home in Rockland, ME for Carl Stilphen. Mr. Carpenter opened the Carpenter Funeral Home at 306 Broadway in Rockland in 1971. He had been a licensed funeral director since 1952.
He was a trustee of Northeast Health, and was on the finance committee. He was a former chairman of the Rockland Salvation Army Board. He was a member of Thomaston American Legion, and had belong to Rockland American Legion Post 1, having been past commander three times. He was a former past master and longtime secretary of Rockland Lodge of Masons, and belonged to St. George Lodge in Warren. He was a member of the Scottish Rite Bodies, Kora Temple Shrine, Royal Order of Jesters, and Mid-Coast Shrine Club. Mr. Carpenter was a member of the Rockland Lodge of Elks and the Knox County Republican Committee.
He was a member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Rockland, having served on the building committee for the new church. He was a member of the Maine and National Funeral Directors Associations, and was a former member of the National Selected Morticians. He was a member of the National Rifle Association and the Pine Hill Shooting Club. He served as a Knox County bail commissioner for many years and as a Justice of the Peace. He was a Civil War historian and founded the Civil War Roundtable in Rockland. He enjoyed collecting guns and working on his Aircoupe airplane.
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