Ailene B. Carr, 90

Ailene B. Carr was born April 3, 1931 to Aila and Willard Jarvie in Molalla, Oregon. She moved with her family to Red Lodge, Montana where she met her husband, Norman Carr, at a dance in 1945. On June 4, 1947 they married. This was the beginning of a long life dedicated to a loving family and hard work. She passed November 1, 2021.

They spent their first six months in Billings where Norman worked. Then they moved to Winnett where they managed the Commercial Hotel. She was in charge of cleaning the rooms and running off the undesirables. They started their family in Winnett and by 1961 they had seven children. They then packed up and headed to Whitehall, MT. where they bought the A & W Drive In. It was in Whitehall where they finished their family with two more children. She only attended school until her sophomore year but received her GED and went to Montana State University for a semester, driving back & forth everyday, while she had eight children still at home.

Mom spent most of her life working and caring for her kids. She was 100% Finn and she loved to help at the Festival of Nations in Red Lodge with her mother. After Whitehall, they moved to Florence where they built the Kings Hat Drive In in Lolo, MT. In 1977 they moved to Billings and bought the South Side Drive In and renamed it the Kings Hat. By then they were down to three kids.

They created a successful business out of the Kings Hat and by 1988 they were ready to retire and sold their business to their daughter and son-in-law, Cathy and Tim Garrad. They moved to the Bull Mountains near Roundup for 6 years before moving back to Billings for the remainder of their lives. Mom lost her beloved husband on August 19, 2012. After that Mom was alone for the first time in her life. She enjoyed her many visits and phone calls from her kids. Mom spent the last 8 months living with her youngest daughter, Karen. Mom passed away at the age of 90 on November 1, 2021, with her daughters by her side.

Mom is survived by her kids, Carol (Tom) Lorang, Great Falls; Jane (Jim) Forthun, Billings; Roxcee (John) Kountz, Whitehall; Tom Carr, Missoula; Bill (Debbie) Carr, Brainerd, MN; Jim (Glenda) Carr, Whitefish; Cathy (Tim) Garrad, Billings, Karen (Zane) Huff, Billings, and John Carr, Billings. She was well loved and cherished by all of her kids, 24 grandkids, 30 great grandkids, and 8 great great grandkids. Ailene is also survived by her brother, John (Sandra) Jarvie of Helena and her sister-in-law, Helen Jarvie of Florence, and her 2 nieces, Eleanor Nofsinger and Elaine Herman.

Services are Monday, November 15, at 11:00 am at Dahl Funeral Chapel, 10 Yellowstone Ave., Billings. A luncheon will follow. Burial will be in the Roberts Cemetery.