David Christopher Carpenter

David Christopher Carpenter, age 41, passed away at St. Agnes hospital in Baltimore on the evening of July 24, 2026, with his dad at his side. A resident of Columbia, MD, Dave was about to be released from the hospital but took a sudden turn for the worse and passed despite heroic attempts by the medical staff. Dave was born on January 6, 1985, in Boulder, CO, the son of Kenneth Carpenter and the late Susan Carpenter. He is survived by his father, Kenneth, brother Bryce and sister-in-law Samantha (“Sam”) Carpenter and their utterly delightful daughter Sylvia, who brought much joy over the last two years to our family as both Susan and David struggled with their illnesses, and godmother Susan Fontaine. He is also survived by Susan’s brother Eric Johnson and his wife Maria and their sons Kyle and Austin, and Great Uncle Glenn, first-cousin-once-removed Kevin, and numerous other relatives. David was raised for several years in Boulder, then moved with his family to Columbia, MD where he and his brother spent most of their childhood. David was home schooled by his mom through middle school, then entered the local public high school. After taking a year post-high school to figure out his career path, he found his calling and trained as a helicopter pilot. During his career, he flew helicopters for Washington and Philadelphia area news organizations, for boating race photographers, and for tourists in Atlantic City. He also flew as an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) pilot in the Southwest, where his stations included Roswell, NM and Albuquerque, NM. He firmly claimed to never have flown anything more exotic than a helicopter out of Roswell – but would he have told us if that wasn’t the case….? ☺ David formed lifelong bonds with two high school friends, Charlie Bailey and Luke Mclaren. Charlie and David worked multiple jobs together. Charlie says that David was “like a brother to me” and that the two considered their families as one. Luke says David saved his life not once, but twice. He remembers when early in their friendship David pulled him out of a “very rough place” when he was in a downward spiral. Years later, Luke volunteered to be a living donor when David was being considered for a liver transplant. During the screening process, doctors discovered an early-stage cancer in Luke and successfully treated it. It if had gone undetected much longer, the cancer would have spread rapidly and become very difficult to treat. Jon Morgan and Chase Carter were frequent companions with David in his later years, wakeboarding, driving boats, flying helicopters, and keeping life in general interesting. David, as well as all our family, made many journeys with lifelong friends, Sue Okula and the late Doug Bigelow, and their son David and daughter Elaine. Another case where two families merged into a greater whole. We, the Carpenter family, thank our friends and particularly David’s friends for a lifetime of shared experiences and support as David begins his final journey.

David Christopher Carpenter

January 6, 1985 - July 24, 2026