In the wee hours of December 27, 2024, Carroll Jean Bailey Larvie of Butte passed away at the age of 92. Her family is comforted by thinking of the welcoming party that awaits her- including her husband, parents, siblings, beloved aunt and best friend.
Carroll was the fourth child born to Thomas and Helen (Burns) Bailey and was raised in Butte, attending Girls Central. She had the uncanny ability to recall details of her childhood, teenage years and beyond-everything from the various addresses she resided until her family settled on South Dakota Street, to the shenanigans of her siblings, to the changes that happened around Butte. Her incredible memory is a trait that will be missed. As a teenager she babysat and started the practice of saving her money. This would become one of many super powers.
Carroll married Earl Larvie and settled into life as a military wife, moving with their three daughters to duty stations across the US and abroad including Missouri, Virginia, and Germany. She returned to Butte during times of deployment with a family that had grown to six children and honed her other super power of keeping house by keeping details of hardship to herself.
There was never any doubt that Butte was Carroll’s home, and once her husband retired from the army, they settled first in Walkerville and then in their home on Galena Street. The house on the hill became the hub for the family. Carrol was only too happy to welcome people in, make coffee and visit for hours. She adjusted to the various work demands of her husband and to the needs of her children and opened her arms for the arrival of grandchildren.
For years, Carrol was active in the VFW Post 1448 serving as president of the Ladies Auxiliary. She was an advocate for two siblings with developmental disabilities. She was the person to call when your car wouldn’t start. When her husband took a job in California, she kept the home in Butte. She never said no to a road trip, especially when it involved a grandchild, and she buzzed all over Montana and beyond for dance recitals, baseball games, scout ceremonies and more. And, the highway between Butte and Boron, CA was well traversed. She prided herself on being able to help others and did so in countless ways.
When her husband retired, Carroll got a kick out of him working a slew of jobs while she’d cruise over to the Belmont Senior Center for a game or two of BINGO. She almost always won. Together, Carroll and Earl were dog lovers and provided a home to several dogs over the years sometimes to the chagrin of their children. Carroll loved being the first to know and was the person who kept others up to date with the goings on in the family. Nothing made her happier than being on her cell phone with one family member while the house phone rang with yet another person calling for her. Most holidays were celebrated by her being on the phone.
In November of 2018, Carroll was diagnosed with late onset Alzheimer’s, a diagnosis she dismissed because as she put it "that doctor has rocks in his head." As her husband began living with dementia, Carroll allowed herself to be cared for too, and reality set in for family as they accepted her diagnosis.
Carroll is survived by her six children Lynda Larvie of Billings; Brenda (Russell) Dotson of Huntley; Terri Larvie; Fleeta (Bob) O’DeII of Lewistown; Earl (Amy) Larvie of Albuquerque, NM, and Kimberly Larvie of Shawnee, KS; by 16 grandchildren; 21 great grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren. As Aunt Carroll Jean, she has surviving family on both the Bailey and Larvie sides including her sister-in-law Arlene Bailey who was witness to her marriage to Earl 64 years ago.
Funeral services will be held Friday, January 10, at Duggan Dolan Mortuary with visitation at 11 a.m. and Mass at noon. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. A gathering for those who knew Carroll will be at the Butte Brewery at 2:30. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Chelsea Bailey Animal Shelter, Butte Central Education Foundation or a charity of one’s choice.
Finally, the family extends sincere thanks and appreciation to the staff of BeeHive Homes of Butte.
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