John R. Carr

Visitation: Thursday, June 5, 2008 from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The family will receive friends on Friday, June 6, 2008 at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Prayer Service: Friday, June 6, 2008 at 6:00 pm at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Funeral Mass: Saturday, June 7, 2008 at 1:00 pm at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Miles City.

Rite of Committal: will follow in the family lot of Calvary Cemetery in Miles City with full military rites provided by VFW Post 1579.

John R. Jack Carr, age 83, longtime resident of Miles City, MT, passed away peacefully Monday, June 2, 2008, at the Billings Clinic in Billings, MT, surrounded by his loving family.

Jack was born on July 21, 19in Minneapolis, MN, the son of George A.J. and Gretchen (Murphy) Carr. He attended Sacred Heart Grade School and graduated from Custer County High School in 1942. He then attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA, to study law. He later enlisted in the Army Air Corp as a B17 ball turret gunner with the distinguished 100th Bomb Group, where he attained the rank of Sergeant. Jack was stationed at Thorpe Abbotts, England, where he bravely completed 35 missions over Nazi occupied Europe including dropping provisions to the Polish Underground Resistance and the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland.

On September 3, 1947, he married his high school sweetheart Margaret T. Leonard at Sacred Heart Church in Miles City. They made their home in Spokane, while Jack completed his law degree at Gonzaga University Law School. After his graduation in 1949, they moved to Butte and then Sidney before returning to Miles City where Jack practiced law with Margarets father, P.F. Leonard, and brother-in-law, Dan Kelly. He was later joined by his nephew, Patrick Kelly, and later Kenneth Wilson, Dennis Corbin and Gary Bunke.

Jack was fortunate to practice law with his son Jim for the last 17 years. The best years of his life were spent enjoying time with his family. He was especially devoted to his wife Margaret, as he cared for her during her extended illness. He remained active and young at heart through dancing with his beloved wife, socializing with his friends, playing golf and tennis with his children, and following the multitude of sporting and other events of his children and grandchildren. Jack was known for countless random acts of kindness that he quietly and generously shared with numerous people throughout his life.

He was known for his integrity, compassion, and his unending ability to forgive. This is the legacy Jack left to his children and grandchildren. Jack was tremendously civic minded. He dutifully served the community with terms as County Attorney and City Attorney, and was appointed by President John F. Kennedy as a federal magistrate for Eastern Montana. He also served on the Sacred Heart School Board, Sacred Heart Parish Board, the Holy Rosary Hospital Board, the Eastern Montana Cancer Foundation Board, and was a fourth degree member in the Knights of Columbus. As he practiced law, he sought to resolve differences with a quiet voice and a boundless heart. He counseled many people with rare wisdom and civility.

Jack is survived by his five children: Mary Margaret (David) Friend, Cathy Tooke, Mike Carr and Jim Carr of Miles City, MT; and Jackie Carr of Seattle, WA; as well his nine grandchildren: Michelle Friend, Dan (Nicole) Friend, Katie (Scott) Donnelly, and Jennifer (John) Goff, John Michael (Amy), Robert and Kevin Tooke, Lisa (Chris) Dantic and Ryan Minch; and 5 great-grandchildren, Madison, McKenna, and McCormick Friend, Greta Tooke and Ellie Goff; brother Jim Carr of Miles City and sister Mary (Carr) Pusich of Douglas, Alaska, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Margaret, his daughter Patty Jo (Jerry) Minch, his grandson John David Friend, and his brother George Carr.

Visitation will be held at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home in Miles City on Thursday, June 5, 2008 from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The family will receive friends on Friday, June 6, 2008 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. A Vigil Service will be held on Friday, June 6, 2008 at 6:00 pm at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, June 7, 2008 at 1:00 pm at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Miles City. Rite of Committal will follow in the family lot of Calvary Cemetery in Miles City with full military rites provided by VFW Post 1579. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting: www.stevensonandsons.com.

Memorials may be made to Sacred Heart School, the Holy Rosary Healthcare Foundation, or to a charity of one's choice. Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home of Miles City has been entrusted with the arrangements.