Richard M. Carpenter of Mission Hills died January 1, 2016, after a long illness.

Richard was predeceased by his mother and father and 12 siblings. He leaves behind his wife of 60 years Rosalie C. Tipper, four children; Richard, Christine, Yvette and Roberta, three sons-in-law and one daughter-in-law. He also leaves behind eight grandchildren, eight great grandchildren and several adopted children.

Richard was naturally mechanically inclined. He served in the Korean War where he earned several medals for his service. He retired from Lockheed Martin in 2003. He had a love for astronomy. He was a jokester and loved life. His family will miss him terribly as he was the rock for all of us.

Viewing Hours will be from 4 to 8 pm, Wednesday January 6, 2016, at Starbuck-Lind Funeral home in Lompoc. There will be no funeral. His final resting place will be a veteran's cemetery in Texas.