Donald A. Carpenter

Pastor Donald A. Carpenter, 61, of Torrington, CT, went home to be with the Lord, suddenly and unexpectedly, on April 12, 2025. He was the husband of Rebecca (Thomas) for 37 years.

Donald was born March 14, 1964, in Oberlin, OH, the son of the late Alvin and Betty (Schweinfurth) Carpenter, and grew up in Grafton, OH. He was a graduate of Baptist Bible College of Clarks Summit, PA, and was involved in ministry in Scranton PA for 10 years, then was a pastor in Walla Walla, WA for 4 years before moving to Connecticut. He had been the pastor of Evangelical Baptist Church in Torrington for the past 24 years, and felt so privileged to be able to do this job he loved so much, with people who were so dear to him.

Don did everything with enthusiasm - whether it was loudly cheering on his beloved Cleveland Browns, or applying his favorite patchouli product, or telling all his fellow preachers that they need to use the Bible software program "Logos". He loved teaching the Bible, and answering Bible questions, both at church and on his call-in show "Bible Answers". He was often called a "walking concordance" because he could cite almost any Bible reference off the top of his head. He loved playing the guitar and leading singing for Kids' Bible Club and VBS - getting particular joy from hearing kids singing enthusiastically for Jesus. He loved driving Uber and meeting all the different people who rode with him. He loved taking road trips and hanging with his festie buddies in Pennsylvania.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by four children, a son Zachary (and Eboni) Carpenter of Torrington; three daughters, Bethany Carpenter of Winchester, CT, Katie (and Robby) Breakell of Winsted, CT, Sarah (and Bobby) Baldwin of Winsted, CT; two brothers, Daniel Carpenter of Rocky Mountain, NC, David Carpenter of Stratford, NJ; eight grandchildren, as well as several nieces, nephews, his church family and many friends. He was preceded in death by his two sisters, Sharon Turner and Linda Carpenter.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Evangelical Baptist Church, 7 Winsted Rd., Torrington, CT 06790. Burial will be at Forest View Cemetery in Winsted at 9:00 a.m.. Both services will be open to anyone who wants to attend. There are no additional calling hours.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Evangelical Baptist Church, P. O. Box 1231, Torrington, CT 06790.