Marion Laughridge Carpenter, 92, died at Hospice House of Kings Mountain on February 10, 2016, having lived a full life amidst family and friends. Her spirit overflowed with optimism, laughter and joie de vivre.

Marion was born in Gastonia, September 12, 1923, along with a twin sister, Shirley. She was the youngest child born to Augustus Lawrence and Laura Rollins Laughridge. Marion and sisters, Shirley and Norma, sang on WGNC radio in their teens as The Laughridge Sisters. The twins would often use their resemblance to stump suitors, and staged a double wedding in 1947 when Marion married Charles T. Carpenter, Jr., whom she met as he returned from distinguished service in World World II.

Early in her life, she worked for J.H. Matthews of Matthews Belk's and the National Bank of Commerce in Gastonia, and later for First Citizens Bank and BB&T Bank in Kings Mountain. Marion also worked at Carpenter Real Estate for ten years and as a tax listing clerk for Cleveland County. With special gifts of her contagious smile and warm hospitality, Marion welcomed many newcomers to her beloved Kings Mountain as a hostess for Welcome Wagon, sent thousands of greeting cards to brighten the lives of others, and for decades visited those in need as a faithful member of Central United Methodist Church.

Marion made friends easily, relished trips to the beach and was an avid member of five bridge clubs for over 50 years. While living in Raleigh the last decade, store clerks would give her bouquets of flowers and strangers would remark on her radiance and beauty. For her 70^th birthday, she sailed in Nantucket Bay; her 80^th, she cruised the Thames and danced in the aisle of a London theatre. On her 90^th, she hosted friends to paint canvases of butterflies, symbolic of the beauty and radiance of her life. Marion had a cheerful heart, an easy smile and made a joyful noise in the lives of others.

Marion was predeceased by ten siblings and survived by her devoted husband of 68 years, Charles T. Carpenter, Jr. of Kings Mountain, along with son, Charles T. "Chuck" Carpenter, III and wife, Ellen, and their sons, Troy and Sam, of Norfolk, Va., and their daughter Katie of Charlottesville, Va.; Daughter, Laura Carpenter Bingham, and husband, Warren, of Raleigh and Blowing Rock, NC. Marion is also survived by a host of Laughridge nieces and nephews from across the United States and Carpenter relatives nearby who treasure Marion's zest for life.

A memorial service will be Sunday, February 14, 2016 2:00 P.M. at Central United Methodist Church. Reception will follow the service. Burial will be private.

Memorial gifts can be made to Central United Methodist Church, 113 South Piedmont Avenue, Kings Mountain, NC 28086 or, in gratitude, to Hospice of Cleveland County, 951 Wendover Heights Drive, Shelby, NC 28150.

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ARRANGEMENTS: HARRIS FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATION SERVICES, KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA