Warren Kinzer Carper, Jr.

From ashes we were created and to ashes we will return, it is in the details between that make up a life. Somebody once wrote that to fairly judge a person’s life look not so much at who they are, but who they aspire to be. Warren Carper aspired to be many things and the details of his life tell an amazing story.
Warren Kinzer Carper, Jr. of Christiansburg, Virginia, was born to Kinzer and Jane Carper on August 2, 1957 and died on February 20th 2015. Some would say he was challenged but it was in those challenges that his blessings, his grace, and his love shown through. Warren touched every life that he came into contact with him, he never forgot anybody. He made his friends feel loved, because he was always so excited to see them. He was an honorary member of the Riner Fire Department for almost thirty years and never missed an Oyster Supper or riding in the fire truck in the Christmas Parade. He was a cowboy that could quote John Wayne and the Western Channel, which played continuously on his television set. Warren was a trucker that always talked about taking his girlfriend and going to Texas to pick up a load of cattle. He was a world traveler and went places that many only dream about. Whether it was The Olympics in Los Angeles, Europe, or Myrtle Beach in the summer, Warren traveled and loved it. He was a lifelong member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Christiansburg and was never shy about breaking out in a chorus of “Amazing Grace” or “This Little Light of Mine.” Warren’s days revolved around food and every restaurant he went to was his favorite. Eating breakfast with his “buddies,” lunch with his “girlfriends” or dinner with his family, each meal was truly a sense of community for Warren. The details of Warren’s life and what he aspired to be were always changing but he lived and he loved every moment of his too short life. He never slowed down, he never stopped, and he never let anything get in the way of living and loving a full life. Warren was blessed to have a family, friends, and caregivers that loved and cared for him, but that love was returned a thousand fold. We could all learn from Warren Carper.
Warren has physically left this world but his spirit, his smile, and his memory will remain behind in the hearts of all that knew and loved him. Left behind to celebrate his life is his mother, Jane Hylton Carper, his brother and sister-in-law Lt. Col. Mark and Sherri Carper and his sister and brother-in-law Rev. Sarah and Robert Morris, nieces Tegan Haith and husband Mark, Briana, Moriah, and Tess Carper, and sister Donna Nichols and her husband William. He will be missed but he remains in their hearts and lives and will do so forever.
The family will receive friends on Monday, February 23, at Horne Funeral Home in Christiansburg from 5-8 p.m. Please join the family Tuesday for a service at 5:30 at St. Thomas Episcopal Church to celebrate Warren’s life and the blessings he brought to us all. A reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Riner Fire Department or St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Christiansburg.