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Official Obituary of

Carolyn Louise McPherson

March 13, 1947 ~ December 21, 2022 (age 75) 75 Years Old

Carolyn McPherson Obituary

Carolyn (Krapf) McPherson, 75, of Great Falls died at Benefice Peace Hospice on December 21, 2022 after a long struggle with cancer.

Carolyn was born in Schenectady, NY on March 13, 1947 to Russel and Marion (Bush) Krapf and grew up in Santa Barbara, CA where she attended San Marcos High School and was a lover of horses and an avid rider. After graduating in 1965 she attended St. Olaf College where she studied art education and met her husband, Michael McPherson. The two were married in 1968. Upon graduation from St. Olaf in 1969 the couple moved to San Diego, CA where Carolyn was an elementary school art teacher and Michael finished basic and officer training for the Marine Corps and began law school. It was there that their son, Gavin, was born. The couple then moved to Missoula, MT where Michael finished law school. They then moved to Cherry Point, NC where they lived in military family housing while Michael finished his service as an officer in the Judge Advocate General Corps. It was here that their daughter Jaim was born. They then moved to Great Falls where Jaim and Gavin grew up.

Carolyn was active in the Great Falls art community, working and volunteering at the Paris Gibson Museum of Art, and painting as much as time would allow. She was also active in the Great Falls Junior League, Great Falls Symphony Guild and later the Questers, an antique group. She loved riding horses and collecting antique furniture and was always eager to rearrange and decorate a room.

Carolyn and Michael were married for 26 years. In 1994 she moved to Augusta, MT where she bought a lovely house on Main Street that had a small barn and corral for her to keep her horse and a tidy yard for her beloved dogs. She hosted many Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas Eve nights for her children and their spouses. After living in Augusta for 10 years she moved to be with her sister and family in Seattle, WA. She later moved to Forest, VA to take care of her parents who had retired in the area. After their passing she moved back to Montana, where she stayed in Choteau for a short period before settling back into Great Falls where she loved to go to Gibson Park for a picnic with her grandchildren and a walk through the flower garden – often ending on a hot day with a frozen treat from the snack window.

She is survived by her sisters Beth (Roger) Johnson, Seattle, WA and Kristin (Bill) Nussdorfer, Sparta, Wisconsin; her children Gavin (Kathy) McPherson, Chicago, IL and Jaim (Nathan Birkeland) McPherson, Choteau, MT; her grandchildren Cole and Conner McPherson and Ella and Sigrid Birkeland; along with many nieces and nephews and their children.

A memorial will be dedicated to Carolyn in the Gibson Park garden. If you would like to donate please contact the family.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Carolyn Louise McPherson, please visit our floral store.