Longtime Wood Stone Corp. sales and marketing vice president Keith W. Carpenter, died of heart failure Feb. 5. He was 76.
According to a statement on Wood Stone's Web site, Carpenter was born in Bakersfield, Calif., in 1929. He was a football All-American with honorable mention at San Jose State, and played professional football as linebacker and center for the San Francisco 49ers in 1950. He played an additional five years in the Canadian Football League for the Toronto Argonauts and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Carpenter worked for 37 years in the foodservice industry for a variety of companies including Vulcan Hart, Foster Refrigeration, Traulsen Refrigeration, Hodges Shelving, Frymaster and Welbilt Commercial. He worked for Wood Stone for the past 14 years, where he was instrumental in establishing the oven manufacturer's international network of distributors.
Carpenter is survived by Sallye Carpenter, his wife of 57 years, son Keith R. Carpenter and daughter Kimberly Carpenter Forbes. He was preceded in death by his son Kyle Carpenter.
