Olive M. McCarty

Olive Margaret McCarty, 75, passed away from natural causes on June 25th at Peace Hospice surrounded by her family. She was born Olive Margaret Fosner in Evanston, WY, on August 24, 1942. She grew up in Salt Lake City, UT, and attended Westminster College locally before transferring to the University of Montana in Missoula to complete her teaching degree. Olive spent 27 years as a Special Education Teacher and worked at The Montana School for the Deaf and Blind, Skyline School and Paris Gibson Middle School. She was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church and served as a Deacon, a Youth Sunday School Teacher and a member of the choir. She loved to garden and spent as much time as possible in her yard cultivating her flowers. Olive was known for her sweet nature and quirky disposition. She was funny, offbeat and beloved by those that knew her. Her passing was the direct result of a heart attack suffered in August 2017. Upon detecting an unusual pain in her chest, Olive got in her car in her slippers and drove herself to Benefis to see her rheumatologist. Thankfully, they took her to the emergency room for treatment. Her actions made friends and family laugh boisterously but also made perfect sense somehow. It was "Olive Logic," and those close to her understood it. Olive was given the gift of 10 grandchildren, and she had a special relationship with each one of them. She loved to pack as many she could into her Toyota and take off with them for an adventure. It might be a run for frozen yogurt, a quick jaunt for ice cream or a hike at Giant Springs. The grandchildren all knew that their grandma was just big kid at heart, and they absolutely loved her for it. Her free spirit made them joyful, and her driving absolutely terrified them. Grandma was a true original. Olive is survived by her daughter, Brenda Buckingham of Preston, ID and her son, Sean McCarty of Sandy, OR and preceded in death by her son, Brendan McCarty and her brother, Emerson Fosner. A Funeral Service will be held Friday, June 29th at 11 am at the First Presbyterian Church located at 1315 Central Ave, in Great Falls. A reception with a catered lunch will follow at the church. A graveside service will be held at 2pm at Highland Cemetery. 

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