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RAGNHILD FAY CARPENTER, Teacher and Innkeeper Ragnhild Fay (Klafstad) Carpenter, 78, of Meredith, New Hampshire died on March 10th, 2006 after a long illness. She was born in Somerville, MA and grew up in Belmont, MA graduating from Belmont High School and Colby College in Waterville, Maine in 1949.
Fay’s passion for her Norwegian heritage and her family was matched by the dedication she brought to her occupations of teacher and innkeeper and her related community-oriented pursuits. She met her husband, Edward W. Carpenter, on a blind date in 1951 and by 1959 was living in Glastonbury, CT where, while being the mother of five children, she also took on the role of Hartford campaign manager for Citizens for Goldwater.
In the early 1960’s, the Carpenters moved to Cape Elizabeth, Maine where Fay became a 1st grade and learning disabilities teacher at the local grammar school and leader of the Girl Scout cadet troop.
In 1973 the Carpenters moved to Rangeley, Maine becoming owners of the Rangeley Inn near Saddleback Mountain where the family had spent many winter ski vacations. Fay and Ed succeeded in turning the old turn-of-the-century structure into a viable commercial enterprise while maintaining the charm and history of the old New England summer hotel. As a result of her role of innkeeper, Fay was active in the local Chamber of Commerce, the Maine Innkeepers’ Association and the Maine Publicity Bureau, for both of which she served as President.
In 1996, Fay, Ed and their daughter Janet restored the 1897 Victorian house in Meredith, NH which had been the town’s doctor and dentist’s home and office for 100 years and converted it to an 8-room bed and breakfast, The Meredith Inn. Fay Carpenter is survived by her husband Edward, her two sisters Sonja Siders of Lilburn GA and Julie Runnells of Concord, NH , her children Carol Johnston of Hershey, PA, Nancy Kirkpatrick of Chatham, NJ, Janet Carpenter of Meredith, NH, Susan Brunvand of Waterville Valley, NH, and Scott Carpenter of Meredith, NH. She is also survived by four grandchildren, Julie and Eric Johnston and Molly and Hannah Kirkpatrick.
Calling hours will be held Monday, March 13, 2006 from 6 to 8 PM at the Wilkinson-Beane Funeral Home, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH. Callers should use the Carriage House entrance.
A funeral service will be held on Tuesday at 1:00 PM at the funeral home. Burial will follow in Bayside Cemetery, Laconia.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to any of the following: Fay Carpenter Memorial Scholarship Fund c/o The Maine Innkeepers Association, MEIA Education Foundation, 304 Route US1, Freeport, ME 04032, FMH-Rangeley Ambulance Crew Fund, c/o Rangeley Chamber of Commerce, Box 317, Rangeley,ME 04970 or to the Meredith Fire Relief Assoc., 286 DW Highway, Meredith, NH. 03253.
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