Matthew Carpenter
January 20, 1953 – February 3, 2025
Matthew Carpenter (72) died unexpectedly on February 3 at his home in Braintree, Massachusetts. The son of the late Ray and Louise Carpenter, he was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts in 1953. He lived most of his childhood and teenage years in Winchendon, Massachusetts, graduating from Murdock High school in 1971. During his youth, Matt, as he was known to family and friends, was active in various church, district, and regional activities of the Church of the Nazarene, primarily in the Massachusetts and New Hampshire area. He graduated from Eastern Nazarene College (ENC) in the Wollaston section of Quincy, Massachusetts in 1976. After college, he worked in a variety of social work positions in Massachusetts, including the League School in Boston, the Boston School for the Deaf in Randolph, and the Baird School in Plymouth. For most of his career, he was an underwriting and marketing professional with the John Hancock Insurance company in Boston. Later, he took a position as the Director of Alumni Relations for ENC until 2024.
He was an avid sports enthusiast and a dedicated fan of the Boston Celtics, Bruins, and Red Sox and the New England Patriots. Stemming from his years of employment with John Hancock and John Hancock’s early sponsorship of the Boston Marathon, Matt began volunteering to support the marathon in the 1980s. He also ran two Boston Marathons. For decades, he continued his marathon work with the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) and DMSE Sports, including as a paid coordinator, most notably coordinating all the volunteer fluid stops for the elite professional runners, including the 2024 Boston Marathon.
He is survived by his wife, Anna Carpenter and his sons from a previous marriage, Brendan and Shane, his brother Stephen, his sister, Martha Kiper, and an extended family of in-laws, nieces, and nephews. In addition, he leaves behind a host of lifelong close friends from his extensive network of ENC alumni and friends made from his association with BAA and DMSE Sports.
A memorial service will be held on March 1 at 11 AM in Wollaston Church of the Nazarene in Quincy, Massachusetts. His ashes have been scattered at Rye Beach, a favorite destination during the many years in which he lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.