GLENN CARPENTER

Mr. Carpenter, born in Woodstock, left his mark on both Fredericton and Saint John over the past 40 years. Mr. Carpenter’s passion was to help other people help themselves. He always had a desire to give back to his community and he gave back in many different ways.

Establishing several businesses, holding positions with a number of councils, commissions and sports clubs, as well as extensive work with service organizations such as the YMCA. Mr. Carpenter was a lifelong member of the Y’s Men’s Association and was a member and past president of the Saint John Y’s Men’s Club. He was also a founding president of the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization in Saint John.

Mr. Carpenter was an avid participant in the Saint John Board of Trade’s business mentoring program, where successful business owners help new business owners get off on the right foot. In the summer of 1998, Mr. Carpenter actually made a business out of helping new business owners by buying the old Ketepec School building and turning it into a “small business incubator”, a place where entrepreneurs can get started with low overhead costs.

Of his many business ventures, Mr. Carpenter’s biggest was Tabufile Atlantic Ltd. in Saint John. The business-product developer and producer was run by Mr. Carpenter until he became ill in 1996, when he passed the business on to his son-in-law and daughter, Dale and Wendy Knox.

Mr. Capson, a long-time friend of Mr. Carpenter and fellow ”Y’s” man, said Mr. Carpenter had an unstoppable positive outlook on everything. “Certainly very, very much a positive thinker,” Mr. Capson said. “Any time our club would be looking at the negative side of a fundraising activity or project, Glenn would always be the one to stand up and talk about the positive side. Next thing you knew, everybody was saying, ‘yeah, let’s go, let’s do this.’”

Long time friend Richard Burpee, general manager of Saint John Energy, simply referred to Mr. Carpenter as a true friend. “I’ll remember him as committed to both his family and his business and a true friend to anyone who ever met him,” he said.

Glenn Carpenter spent most of his life making a difference.