James Carroll

Funeral Service for James T. Carroll, 78, of Ekalaka, MT will be at 10:00 a. m. on Monday, August 2, 2010, in the Chapel of Stevenson Funeral Home in Ekalaka with Tom Stieg officiating. Interment will follow in the Beaver Lodge Cemetery at Ekalaka with full Military Rites by the Ekalaka VFW Post #7885, Ekalaka American Legion Post #60 and the Montana National Guard Honor Guard. Visitation will be 5:00 p. m. to 8:00 p. m. on Sunday, August 1st, with the family receiving friends from 5:00 p. m. to 7:00 p. m. at Stevenson Funeral Home. James T. Carroll passed away unexpectedly on Monday, July 26, 2010, at Dahl Memorial Healthcare in Ekalaka, MT. James Thomas Carroll, or James T. as he was known, was born on January 1, 1932, in Ekalaka, MT a son of James Thomas and Blanche Edna (Davis) Carroll. James T. grew up on the Carroll ranch in the Belltower Community southeast of Ekalaka. He attended the Belltower School. Following grade school, he worked on the family ranch and other ranches in the area. At the age of 17, James T. joined the United States Army on December 7, 1949, serving with Company C 505 Reg 82nd Airborne Division as a Paratrooper. While still in the Army, James T. married the love of his life, his best friend, Marlys L. ?Marty? Speiser on August 30, 1952, in Ekalaka. Corporal James T. Carroll was honorable discharged on February 17, 1953. Following his discharge, James T. returned to the family ranch in Belltower where he and Marty raised their children, Tom and Jody. James T. enjoyed the wide open spaces of their ranch and its beauty. He was a talented horseman and enjoyed hitching a good team to do a hard days work. While working for Ted Bickerdyke in the late 1950s, James T. was given 2 bum lambs for his children. From that start, he remained in the sheep business until 1998. From 1998 until the time of his death he was in the cow business and enjoyed helping neighbors, often on horseback. Always important to him was his service to the Ekalaka VFW. No matter what was on his schedule, presenting the United States Flag to a veteran?s family was an honor. But most important to James T. was his family. James T. was a member of the Belltower Community Club and a member of the Ekalaka Track & Arena. He was also past-president of the C & B Grazing District. He was always quick with a smile and a story. James T. is survived by his best friend and wife, Marty Carroll, Ekalaka, MT; his two children, Tom (Karen) Carroll and Jody (Jeff) Bullion both of Ekalaka, MT; his three grandchildren, Gabe (Steph), Garrett and Kelli; two great-grandchildren, Ryker and Rylan; one brother, Harry L. (Anne) Carroll, Willows, CA; two sisters, Josephine F. (A. B. ) Chavis, Laurinburg, NC and Doreen (Carl) Freeman, Shoshoni, WY and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Blanche, a sister, Delores Tiensvold and a niece, Teresa Carroll. A Memorial has been established by the Carroll family in James T?s honor.


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Burial Date: August 2, 2010
Funeral Home Ekalaka, MT

Funeral Service: Monday, Stevenson Funeral Home, Ekalaka, MT