Carol Swimley
Libby, 64
Carol Swimley, 64, of Libby, Mont. passed away on February 9, 2021, after
a short battle with brain cancer. Carol was born
in Los Angeles, Calif. on November 9, 1956 and
was adopted into the
loving family of Francis and June Young.
Carol moved with her family to Libby in 1969. Her father, Fran, was a concrete worker and was the supervisor for the sidewalks that were to
be installed during the construction of the four-lane highway that was done during the dam years. The Youngs made Libby their permanent home.
Carol graduated in 1974 from Libby High School. She attended
one year of college at the
University of Montana
and then began working
at First National Bank in
Libby before moving to Glacier Bank in 1993.
She spent 47 years in
the banking business.
Carol married the love of her life, Robin Swimley, and began her life with him on December 17, 1983.
Those who knew Carol were familiar with her planning and organizational skills. As her time grew short, she wanted to express her feelings to
the people who brought joy to her life, so no one should be surprised that she decided to write her own farewell:
“It is with all my soul, my heart and my love that I say goodbye to the many people that have touched my life.
To my husband, the love of my life, you have been the one who provided for us, who created a wonderful life for us, and who has always taken care of us. There are no words to say how much I will miss you or to explain the depth with which I love you other than I will love and miss you forever.
To my family, Bruce and Arlene Swimley of Billings, Mont., Kathy Swimley of Spring Creek, Nev., Keith and Linda Swimley of Troy, Mont., Brian and Sabrina Swimley of Troy, Mont., Linda Lundin of Troy, Mont.
Also my nieces and nephews, Joshua, Elizabeth, Daniel, Nicole, Andrea, Melissa, Kevin, Michael, Tyson, Vincent, William, Spencer and Adam. I love you so much. I was hoping retirement would give us more time together to boat, barbeque, and to fish. I am sorry that dream is
not going to happen.
To Don Cherry, thank you for your friendship and for hiring me. Your belief in me was appreciated.
To Glacier Bank in
Libby, you were more like family than co-workers. Thank you for your friendship and for being a part
of my life. I love you all.
To Greg Wilcox and
Tony Harrah, you are loved.
To Mike and Dori
Munro, Jessica and Molly, our second family whom we love very much, you
will be missed.
To our friends Kirby
and Sue Kulbeck, Korey and Alex, we shared many great times together. You mean
so much to me.
To all the people I worked with in the many groups and organizations
I have belonged to over the years, it has been an honor and a pleasure to serve
with you and we accomplished many things to
improve the lives of the
people in our community.
I am proud of the work we did, and I think of you
all fondly.
And finally, to all my customers whom I have
enjoyed working with
for the many years, I am pleased to have been able
to help you realize your dreams and share in that process.
Even though the time for me to go has come, I take comfort in knowing that my goal in life of helping people has been met in the many affiliations with organizations I have worked with over the years, as well as the loans I have been able to process.
Some final advice: Life is short and unexpected. Plan for retirement, but never forget to live, love, and have fun with family and friends along the way.
With much difficulty,
I say Goodbye.” — Carol
A celebration of Carol’s life will be held on Friday, September 10 at 2:00 p.m. at Robin and Carol’s home, 1247 ACM Road South in Libby, Mont. The home is located on the backside of Middle Thompson Lake – halfway between Libby
and Kalispell.
At the family’s request, memorial donations may be to be made to:
Fisher River Valley Fire & Rescue.
Birth Announcements
WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD!
Aubrey Rose Sedler
Shamus Sedler and Makayla Foote
welcomed a baby girl on
August 14, 2021 at 6:42 p.m.
Aubrey Rose Sedler
weighed 9 pounds, .5 ounces and measured 21 inches long.
She was delivered
by Dr. Jana Hall.
MontGuide on cremation now
available through MSU Extension
Submitted by MSU Extension – September 1
BOZEMAN—According to Montana State University Extension educators, Montana’s cremation rate is well above the national average. In 2020, 79% of people who died in the state were cremated. To address the rise in interest,
MSU Extension has released a MontGuide on the topic.
According to data from the National Funeral Directors Association, the U.S. cremation rate was nearly 56% in 2020, up from just over 40% a decade prior. James Brown, executive director of the Montana Funeral Directors Association, said there are myriad reasons behind the increase.
“There are many factors contributing to the rising popularity of cremation among consumers, including cost considerations, environmental concerns, an increasingly transient population, fewer religious prohibitions against the
practice, and changing consumer preferences, such as the desire for simpler,
less-ritualized funeral ceremonies,” Brown said.
The charge for cremation is typically less than a traditional burial, Brown said. However total cost depends on the services desired by the family and the products requested from the crematory. The Federal Trade Commission has
information about funeral costs and a pricing checklist which includes
cremation, says Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension family economics specialist.
In Montana, the state’s Board of Funeral Service, under the Montana
Department of Labor and Industry, licenses and governs crematories, crematory operators and technicians, mortuaries, morticians and privately owned for-profit cemeteries. It also hosts a license lookup system that allows consumers to find license or discipline information. More information on the board is online at https://boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/funeral/.
According Goetting, the MontGuide answers questions such as: Does my body have to be embalmed? Is a casket required? How can my family be assured that my ashes are the ones given to them? Which survivors can receive my ashes? What can my family do with my ashes? Where can I have my ashes scattered?
“People who desire cremation should place their requests in writing and
provide copies of the written instructions to relatives,” Goetting said.
Copies of the MontGuide can be found at https://store.msuextension.org/