Diane Jean (Sander) Carpenter
Diane Jean (Sander) Carpenter was born in Ute, Iowa on February 7, 1948 to Robert & Louise (Dirksen) Sander. She was raised on a farm in Mapleton, Iowa by her mom, Louise Sander and her uncle Joseph Dirksen. She attended St. Mary’s Catholic Grade School and Mapleton High School. She graduated from Tyler Beauty School in Sioux City, Iowa and moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1967 where her son Danny Ray Thompson was born in 1968. There she was employed by Stifel Nichols Investment Firm from 1968-1969. Then she went to work for Goldman Sachs Investment Company from 1969-1982. She moved to Omaha, Nebraska to be closer to home and continued working in the investment world. She was employed by First Mid America and Kirkpatrick Pettis as a Government Bond Trader, then hired by D. A. Davidson as Vice President of Government Bond Trading. She retired October 1, 2012. She raised her son, Danny in Omaha, Nebraska. He graduated from Millard South High School and attended Peru State College in Nebraska going on to be a teacher in Osceola, Missouri.
Diane met her husband, George Carpenter in Omaha, Nebraska in 1988. They married in August 1997 and lived in Omaha till retirement in 2012. They spent many weekends traveling to their cabin on Bull Shoals Lake entertaining family and friends.
They also spent many hours volunteering at the American Legion in Millard, Nebraska.
In 2012 they moved to their lake home near Branson, Missouri on Bull Shoals Lake. Her favorite time was spent on the lake with her children, grandchildren and friends. Her fun-loving personality was the place for family and friends to gather – with an open door to everyone.
In 2020 they sold their lake home and moved to Branson, building their home at Holiday Hills Golf Course where they enjoyed golfing and entertaining.
In September 2025 Diane was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) which took her life on September 9, 2026.
She is survived by her husband George Carpenter, son Danny Ray Thompson and his wife Kim; grandsons Marek and Jade Thompson, step-son Randy Carpenter and wife Lisa, grandson Zach and wife Thalia and great-granddaughter Ella, grandson Cody and his wife Miloni, step-son Richard Carpenter and his wife Doreen, granddaughter Samantha and grandson Jacob, step-daughter Lenee Pfeiler and husband Louie, grandson Hunter, step-son Scott Carpenter of South Korea. Sisters Barbara Castle of Mapleton, IA and Patty Trupp of Bullhead City, Arizona and family.
She was preceded in death by her mother Louise Sander, uncle Joseph Dirksen, Bill Castle, Tom Tusha and Roy Trupp, in-laws George and Angie Carpenter, and brother-in-law Jack Carpenter.
Thank you to George who taught me how to live life to its fullest through golfing, scuba diving, lake life, and enjoying friends. Also, for being my rock through the difficult times.
It has been a joy having my grandchildren in my life, always being together for love and pep talks. Grandchildren are the best part of life; spending as much time together as possible.
A special thanks to my many friends throughout my life that brought joy and happiness and especially for helping me through the real tough times. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my life. I’ll see you in Heaven, and I’ll save you a place at the table.
Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, September 14, 2026 at 11:00 am at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Branson. Visitation will precede the mass beginning at 10:30 am. Diane will be laid to rest on Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:30 pm at Omaha National Cemetery, Omaha, NE.