Mary Lee Jackman Carpenter was born on July 26, 1920 and died on March 13, 2014. Mary Lee grew up in Altus, Oklahoma, and attended Wheaton College from 1938-40. She married Donald Carpenter on July 3, 1940. Together, Don and Mary Lee dedicated their lives to the ministry of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through the 1940’s, their marriage was blessed with four children—Sharon, Steven, Sally, and John. Sharon died only hours after birth. During those same years, their hearts were early drawn to ministry to boys and girls as they launched the ministry of Youth for Christ in Muskogee, Oklahoma and Springfield, Missouri. After four-years in pastoral ministry, in 1952 they founded Del-Haven, Inc., a camp ministry with special focus on delinquent and underprivileged children. In Del-Haven, their life’s work was established. Mary Lee managed the kitchen and cooked for the camp for 59 consecutive years, but her gifts and skills ranged far beyond the kitchen. She was a gifted teacher, engaging storyteller, and on-call pianist when needed. She was also an accomplished writer, though the products of her pen remained largely hidden through her life. She loved the stories of Scripture and drew particular strength from biographies and stories telling of God’s faithfulness in the lives of others. She was a tireless prayer warrior who modeled diligence and unswerving loyalty to Christ through every season of life. Many, but most especially her children and grandchildren, were the direct beneficiaries of her exhortations, instructions, and godly example. Her life stands as a remarkable monument to the power of God’s grace in Christ to perfect and establish His virtue and faithfulness in His own. The blessings of her life and legacy continue in her three children, nine grandchildren, twenty great grandchildren, and one great, great grandchild.
Visitation will be 2-3:30 pm Sunday, March 16, 2014 at Royer Funeral Home, Oak Grove, MO. Funeral service will be 10:00 a.m. Monday March 17, 2014 at First Baptist Church of Oak Grove. Burial Hill Cemetery. Memorial Contributions may be made to Camp Del Haven.
Arr: Royer Funeral Home 101 SE 15th St. Oak Grove, MO 64075 (816) 690-4441