Obituary of Clayton Carpenter

CARPENTER, Clayton Calvin Jr., 86, of Glastonbury, CT passed away on Monday (February 16, 2015) at Hartford Hospital. He leaves his wife Joyce of 49 years, sister Martha Tresnak and her husband Robert of Pittsboro, NC, son Jeffrey Carpenter and his wife Kristen of Mamaroneck, NY, daughter Cathy Michaud and her husband Jim of Evans, GA, and three grandchildren. He was born in Gastonia, NC in 1928, son of the late Clayton and Prue Carpenter. He graduated from Davidson College in 1949. He served his country in the US Army during the Korean War. Upon his honorable discharge in 1954, he went into business with his father selling insurance while playing the flute professionally in the Charlotte Symphony. He took advantage of the GI Bill to attend a year of mathematics courses at UNC Chapel Hill, which lead him north to the Aetna Life Insurance Co in Hartford, CT in 1956 as an actuarial student. He became a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and retired from the Aetna 32 years later in 1988 after a career spent mostly in the Group Annuity (Pension) Dept. He had lifelong passions for music and racquet sports which he shared with his children. He won several Aetna singles and doubles ping pong championships. For decades he played in weekly doubles tennis games around greater Hartford which led to many lifelong friendships. He enjoyed listening to classical music and regularly attended concerts at the Hartford Bushnell. He and Joyce played bridge and ate dinner monthly for over 30 years with a group of friends with whom they also enjoyed short trips. Upon retirement, he and Joyce fulfilled a dream they shared to travel, making many trips both abroad and in the US. He immersed himself in adult education courses and volunteered with Meals on Wheels. He was a kind, honest and reliable person with a good sense of humor who was always there to support his family, friends and colleagues. A memorial service will be held on Friday, February 20 at 11 AM at St. James Episcopal Church at 2584 Main St. Glastonbury CT. Memorial donations may be made to the Esophageal Cancer Education Foundation, PO Box 821, Manalapan, NJ 07726 (www.fightec.org) or the Bushnell Performing Arts Center, 166 Capital Ave., Hartford, CT 06106 (www.bushnell.org).