Cliff Carpenter obit

Clifford Carpenter

1915 - 2014

He was not on the list.


Cliff Carpenter, 98, of Pawling, a prolific actor, concerned citizen and activist, and the beloved partner of Jean Rouverol Butler, passed away on Thursday, January 9.

Carpenter was best known as a radio actor for the voice of Terry of Terry and the Pirates from 1937 until he enlisted in the infantry in World War II. Carpenter fought and was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. He performed in several Broadway and off-Broadway theater productions until he was blacklisted during the McCarthy era, and as a result no one would hire him for many years. Carpenter acted sporadically in television, film, and local theater, and he appeared in thirteen films, including a minor role in Synecdoche, New York. Carpenter also made three appearances on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show. Together with fellow actor Rouverol, Carpenter enjoyed attending and performing at the Friends of Old Time Radio conventions.

Carpenter's Quaker Hill log home, designed by Finnish carpenters, was once owned by Edward R. Murrow, as well as by Lowell Thomas. An active member of the community, Carpenter contributed to efforts of the Oblong Land Trust, the Historical Society, and community organizations. Carpenter frequently attended Quaker meetings, and in the 1990s and early 2000s, he marched in several anti-war demonstrations, at times in his World War II uniform.

Carpenter is pre-deceased by his wife Pauline "Mac" Carpenter (1984) and his daughter Deborah Fields (1994). He is survived by his partner of ten years Jean Rouverol Butler and her family, by his grandchildren Katherine Roberts Hite and Anthony Clifford Leonard, and by his great-grandchildren Aidan Carpenter Hite and Adeline Roberts Hite.

The family plans to hold a celebration of Carpenter's life in the late Spring.