Kenneth Orthell Carper's Obituary
Kenneth Orthell Carper commonly known as Ken, 85, resident of Sanibel Island, Florida passed away peacefully on the 9th of October 2014 at Shell Point in Fort Myers, Florida from a recent illness.Ken’s life started in Sturgis, Michigan when he was born on the 3rd of April 1929. His father, Guy Waldo Carper, was 37 at the time and his mother, Lottie M Carper, formerly Crowl, was 22. Guy was born on the 24th of January 1892 in Nottawa, Michigan and passed away on the 17th of March 1981 in Sanibel, Florida at the age of 89. He was buried in Mottville cemetery in St. Joseph County, Michigan. He proudly served in the United States Army from the 20th of September 1917 to the 30th of August 1919. Lottie was born in 1908 in Indiana and passed away in the year of 1960 at the age of 52. Ken was an only child.In 1930 Ken resided in Trenton, Michigan. In 1944 and 1945 he went to high school at Niles Sr High in Niles, Michigan. When he was 16 he moved from Michigan to Sanibel Island. He proudly served in the United States Navy from the 26th of September 1950 to the 23rd of July 1954. On the 29th of April 1956 Ken Orthell Carper and Charlotta Anne Wiles announced their engagement; the wedding took place on the 4th of July 1956 at St. Francis Catholic Church in Lee County, Florida. From 1957 to 2014 Ken has resided on Sanibel Island, Florida. In 1957 until 1960 he worked as a service manager for J.P. Carter Trucking Company on Sanibel Island, Florida at the time J.P. Carter was the only trucking company that came to the island via the ferry. Those who knew Ken will also know him for being a manager at Bailey’s General Store, located on Sanibel Island, for 12 year. When he started his employment with Bailey’s they were located at the end of Bailey Road on San Carlos Bay. He also helped his wife, Charlotta, manage the Wiles family restaurant known as Timmy’s Nook, named after Charlotta’s father Thomas Mahlen Wiles Jr. “Timmy”, for 13 years before it was sold on the 11th of April 1994. Ken loved to help out his community in any way he could that is why during his life he was a volunteer fire fighter and a volunteer sheriff for the Sanibel Island Fire House and the Lee County Sheriff’s Department. Putting together puzzles was his favorite thing to do it got to the point where it was getting hard to find new ones for him, and he had put together every 3D puzzle that has ever existed. He was always a very quiet man, but that is probably because Charlotta never gave him a chance to speak. He would always “pull your chain” and everyone would burst out laughing, but most of his surviving family members remember sitting with him in semi-silence placing pieces into a puzzle, or pointing out hidden objects in his hidden objects games on the computer.Kenneth Orthell Carper was preceded in death by his loving wife of 58 years, including the years since her death, Charlotta Wiles Carper of Sanibel, Florida passed away two years ago on the 26th of August 2012. Ken is survived by his two children Gail Day of Fort Myers, Florida and Stephen Carper and his wife Debby of Denair, California; his sister-in-laws, the remaining of Charlotta’s six sisters, Linda Horne of Fort Myers, Florida, Carol Phillips of Largo, Florida, Pat Conway of Fort Myers, Florida, and Donna Bashaw of Elizabeth, North Carolina; his three grandchildren Adam Montgomery and his wife Susie of Cincinnati, Ohio, Ryan Bailey of Tallahassee, Florida, and Tiffany Holloway and her husband Harley of Lehigh Acres, Florida; his two great-grandchildren, the sons of Adam and Susie, Luke and Joel Montgomery of Cincinnati, Ohio.He will be cremated and there will be no service per his wishes. The funeral home in charge of the cremation is Memorial Gardens of Fort Myers, Florida.Thank you to all of his doctors and medical staff that helped him in his final days. A special thanks for the help of Hope Hospice staff at Shell Point of Fort Myers for making him comfortable during his last hours.As previously stated, Ken did not do much of the talking so this quote from Charlotta on an interview from their 50th anniversary seems to be fitting, “Everybody knew everybody back then… I knew who he was, but we didn’t start seeing each other until he invited me to one of the regular dances they had back then at the Community House.”Those who wish to share a tribute to Ken or leave condolences for the family are urged to visit his memorial webpage at www.fortmyersmemorial.com and sign the guestbook.
What’s your fondest memory of Kenneth?
What’s a lesson you learned from Kenneth?
Share a story where Kenneth's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Kenneth you’ll never forget.
How did Kenneth make you smile?