Around the Bar in Memoriam

• Publication year: 2022
• Pages: 64

AROUND THE BAR IN MEMORIAM No. Vol. 51, No. 6 [Page 64] Colorado Lawyer June, 2022

Willis V. Carpenter

February 20,1929—April 8, 2022

Willis "Bill/Will" Carpenter, 93, died peacefully at his daughter's home in Denver on April 8, 2022, surrounded by family and friends. A former Denver Bar Association president, Willis was a highly regarded real estate attorney who had over 60 years of legal experience and was one of the most respected real estate attorneys in Colorado. His practice focused on real estate and commercial transactions, farm and ranch sales, conservation easements, and title insurance issues.

A Colorado native, Willis was raised on his father's ranch five miles east of Hayden. He attended public school in Hayden until his family moved to Denver, where he attended Morey Middle School and East High School. After high school, he moved to the East Coast to attend Princeton University, graduating with a BA in 1951. During his undergraduate years, Willis was a member of the Princeton Tigers' crew team. After college, he attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1954.

Willis was admitted to the Colorado bar in 1954 and started practicing law. The following year, having received a Selective Service deferral to complete his law degree, Willis reported to Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. He served on active duty in Naval Intelligence from 1955 to 1958 and continued his reserve duty until his retirement with the rank of captain in 1977.

In 1978, Willis and his law partner, Andrew "Andy" Klatskin, formed Carpenter & Klatskin, PC, where he practiced until his retirement in 2019. Willis and Andy were joined throughout the years by several remarkable real estate attorneys, but Willis was particularly proud of the firm's fantastic paralegal, Holly Hoxing, who co-taught with Willis for many years, and Darlene Sturges and Pricilla Kimitch, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that every aspect of the law firm functioned properly.

In addition to serving as DBA president (1978-79), Willis was a director for CLE in Colorado (1967-88), chaired the CBA Real Estate Section (1976-77), served on the CBA Board of Governors (1975-80), and was a longtime member of the Real Estate Section's Title Standards Committee (1980-2015). He received the DBA Award of Merit in 1993 and the CBA Award of Merit in 2004. He was the first recipient of the Richard N. Doyle CLE Award in 2002, and in 2004, he became the first recipient...