Kathryn Estelle Pepper Carpenter

Kathryn Estelle Pepper Carpenter (Kay) passed away after a brief illness on December 21st, 2014. Kay was the daughter of Dr. James (Pep) and Winifred Kathryn Bennett (Kaby) Pepper. She was born on May 27, 1936 in Rawlins, WY and resided in Casper, WY for 56 years and Jackson, WY for 42 years.

Always up for an adventure, Kay often played "Cowboys and Indians" with her brother Jim and the neighborhood kids in the caves behind her home or played "Gangster," slumped down, driving her Dad's woody station wagon up and down the main drag in Rawlins. Kay's childhood summers were spent riding horses and enjoying the outdoors. Her winters were spent at Estes Park where she was always up for a ski race and raced well into her 30's. She graduated from Rawlins High School in 1954 where she was involved in several activities and was a baton majorette.

Kay attended Mills College in Oakland, CA majoring in Philosophy of Religion. While there she made lifelong friends and enjoyed parties and clubs in San Francisco and was an usher at the San Francisco Symphony frequently missing curfew and having to climb over the Mills gate.

Kay transferred to the University of Iowa in 1955 where she earned a degree in Dental Hygiene. In the fall of 1956, Kay met Hugh Lewis Carpenter. Their first date, pheasant hunting, led to a whirlwind romance and they were married in Rawlins, WY on August 10th, 1957.

After honeymooning at Jenny Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park, Kay and Hugh moved to Houston, TX where Kay finished her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Houston in 1958. At the same time, Hugh finished his Master's Degree in Radio and Television Production. After graduation Kay thought they were headed to the "Big Apple" or Hollywood for Hugh to pursue a career in TV or radio production. However, their love for the outdoors lured them back to Wyoming and they moved to Casper in 1958 where Kay began her career working for Drs. Ebinger and Germon as a Dental Hygienist. Additionally, she was the secretary-treasurer for Hugh's business, Hi Country Spirits and Wine. They bought the Mountain View Mobile Home Park, which Kay managed for over 30 years and moved to a farm on Poison Spider Road where they founded the IOU Horse Farm, raised their children, Kaycee and Cotton and frequently entertained friends.

After leaving the dental practice in 1960, Kay continued her work with Hugh's company and the mobile home park, while also managing the farm and training the horses. Kay and Hugh were involved in the Wyoming and Intermountain Quarter Horse Associations and competed in reigning, cutting and show events.

In the early 1970's Kay and Hugh expanded Hugh's business and started spending time in Jackson, WY where they made more lifelong friends, skied, and enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping. Kay spent summers and holidays in Jackson with her family and friends until the end of her life.

The 1970's were a busy time. The Carpenters expanded their horse operation and started racing quarter horses and thoroughbreds. Kay trained racehorses for over a decade and continued to own racehorses throughout the 1990's. The friends Kay made on the race track were some of her dearest. She always cherished her time with them and the action on the track.

In 1990 Kay became a Sales Associate for Century 21 in Casper where she worked for a decade. She was an expert on complex western land issues, and loved the challenge of putting together and negotiating transactions.

Hugh passed away in a rafting accident in 1992 and the following year Kay sold the IOU Horse Farm and moved to "town." She retired from the real estate business in 2000 to spend more time with her grandchildren and to be the secretary-treasurer for Cotton's business, E&F Wrecking until 2010 when he sold the company. During that time Kay traveled throughout Europe with her family and took up golf, mostly to humor her daughter and while they didn't excel at the sport, they had a lot of fun trying out different courses for their "hit and giggle" game.

Kay spent her last years traveling to watch her granddaughters, both of whom compete for the U.S. National Synchronized Swimming Team, in synchronized swimming competitions.

Kay was a member of the PEO Sisterhood, the Casper Service League and the American Dental Hygienists Association. She will be remembered for her generosity and compassion for others and her love of horses and the western lifestyle.

Her granddaughters fondly referred to her as "Granda," "Gram-Cracker," "Grammy" and "Gram-Gram." Kay's sun rose and set on them and theirs on her. She loved and supported them unconditionally and will always be an inspiration to them.

Kay was preceded in death by her husband, Hugh and parents James and Kaby Pepper. She is survived by her brother, Jim Pepper, and his wife, Judy, of Surprise, AZ; daughter, Kaycee Wiita, and her husband,Tom, of Jackson, WY and Vancouver, WA; son, Cotton, of Casper, WY; granddaughters, Kathryn and Elizabeth, of Jackson, WY and Vancouver, WA; cousin, Cecil Alice Johnstone, and her husband, Charlie, of Cheyenne, WY and niece, Bene't O'Conner, and her husband, Michael, and son, Aiden, of Scottsdale, AZ.

A service honoring Kay will be at the Newcomer Funeral Home Chapel, 710 East 2nd Street, Casper on Saturday, January 10th at 2:00PM.

A service and interment will be held at Sunland Memorial Park and Mortuary in Sun City, AZ in April.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. John's Medical Center Foundation in Jackson, WY, or The Wyoming Medical Center Foundation in Casper, WY.