Rachel (Markham) Carpenter

Rachel Markham Carpenter, also known as Mom, Aunt Rach, and GranC, age 94, passed away peacefully April 16, 2024. She was born on January 30, 1930 in Romeo, FL to Jiles and Beatrice Hopping Markham. She spent her formative years in Romeo and Dunnellon, graduating from Dunnellon High School in 1947. In Rachel’s later years, she lived in her beloved mountains of Balsam Grove, NC and Ocala FL. She was a bookkeeper, realtor, and in 1969 served as Dunnellon’s first female mayor. Rachel was predeceased by her husbands Herman Alexander and William Carpenter, her daughter Stacey Alexander DiRocco, and her granddaughter Brittan Leigh Alexander. Rachel is survived by her son Warren Alexander and his wife Heidy, her grandson Cooper Alexander and his wife Taylor, and her two precious great grandsons Ellis Cooper Alexander and Marshall Douglas Alexander. She is also survived by numerous loving nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. A celebration of Rachel’s life will be held Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at Holy Faith Episcopal Church in Dunnellon, where she was a proud founding member.