Carmen Rachel Chronister

Carmen Rachel Chronister (Karpf), 69, entered the heavenly kingdom on February 23, 2024.  She was born to Joseph Shelby and Coralie Buckles Chronister on October 15, 1954 in Kansas City, MO.  With her family, she also lived in Branford, CT, Baton Rouge, Nashville, TN, Chicago, and briefly, San Jose, Costa Rica and San Pãolo, Brazil.

Through years of training, as an already an accomplished musician, Carmen graduated from Wolfson High School in Jacksonville, where she sang in and accompanied the chorus, soloists, and choral ensembles.  She earned her degree in Music Education at the University of Florida, majoring in viola. She taught math, drafting and music for all grades at Hendricks Day School in Jacksonville. She later taught Suzuki violin method in several public schools around Jacksonville.  She played viola in the Jacksonville Community Orchestra and sang in the All Saints Choir, Masterworks Chorale, and First Coast Chorale.

She was a patron of many arts: literature, music, dance and theater, a veracious reader of many genres with a special love for mystery, science fiction, and anything regarding history of any time period. Carmen joyfully served for years as actor, backstage manager, and as musical teacher, coach and accompanist to children’s musicals at Theater Jacksonville and JCA. She also involved her children in all the arts of stagecraft. The friendships she developed at Theater Jacksonville lasted throughout her life.

Carmen was married to John Karpf from July 1976 until their divorce in 1983. They lived in New Orleans, Houston, and Ft. Smith, AR before returning to Jacksonville with their year-old son, Joe, in 1981.  Their daughter, Jessica, was born in 1982.

Carmen was initially employed by the Jacksonville Planning Department as a transportation planner.  She continued in that profession for 27 years with Reynolds, Smith and Hills, a planning, architecture, and construction firm.  During this time, she qualified for membership in the American Institute of Certified Planners, an honor she held with pride for the remainder of her career. Following a life-altering automobile accident in 1998, Carmen experienced severe and lasting injuries but persevered and returned, two years later, to RS&H as Senior Planner.

Carmen was a member of All Saints Episcopal Church for many years. She transferred membership to Church of Our Saviour alongside her daughter Jessica, after purchasing a home in the Mandarin area in 2002.

Carmen was preceded in death by her father, Joseph Shelby Chronister, and stepfather, Col. Charles Torrey Williams, USA (ret.).

She is survived by her mother, Coralie Chronister Williams, her sister Christine McClure (Michael), her son John Joseph Karpf II (Mary Katherine), her daughter, Jessica Lya Jones (Gregory), grandchildren Evan, Tristan, Elizabeth, and Carter, nieces Colleen McClure, Caitlin Hess (Dave), and Kimberly Bane (Taylor).

A Celebration of Life service will be held April 5, 2024 at 3pm at Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, 12236 Mandarin Rd. Jacksonville, FL 32223, reception to follow in the Parish Hall. Carmen left a request that guests wear “bright colors” to her memorial. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in her name to the Music Ministry at Episcopal Church of Our Saviour or to Theater Jacksonville, 2032 San Marco Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32207.