Carole Hegre Claxton

HAMILTON - Dying is as much a part of living as being born, but for Carole Claxton, 88, of Hamilton, she did not “go gently into that good night.”  In typical fashion she labored over death, challenged all odds, and let us all know that she was still in charge! On Sunday, November 22, 2015, this stubborn, petite, Norwegian woman passed away, surrounded by the love of her children and their families. Her eyes have been vacant for a long time, as she lamented our dad’s absence, and we take solace in the fact that they have been reunited. 

Fall was Carole’s favorite season, and it is fitting that her life’s journey came to an end amid the brisk winds of change, and the coming of winter. Her age in years and her date of death were prophetic of the double digits that she so loved. Carolyn Fern Hegre was born November 3, 1927, in cold, barren, Glendive, MT to Ellis Island Immigrant Sigvart Knudsen Hegre and Margaret (Moholt) Hegre.  She joined a sister, Ruth, and was followed by a younger brother Marvin. Tiny in stature and strength, her Papa nicknamed her “Peanut” as she trailed in his footsteps to feed the livestock and tend the chores. 

            The promise of better farmland brought the hard-working Norwegian family to the Missoula Valley when Carole was a young child.  Throughout her life she marveled that her two favorite modern conveniences were the thermostat on the wall and indoor plumbing!  An honor student, she graduated early from Missoula County High School at the young age of 17, and entered Nurse’s Training at St. Patrick’s Hospital. It was a brief encounter in that maternity ward that led to the serendipitous meeting of her future husband, Dennis Driscoll Claxton, whom she married on his 21st birthday, March 20, 1948.  Together they moved to Butte and raised their six children in Dennis’ childhood home: Denise, Michael, David, Carole Sue, Joseph, and Anne.

            This woman of small demeanor was the proud mother of a small brood of very well-behaved children. She never raised her voice or her hand; she merely cleared her throat and six kids stopped dead in their tracks wondering who was misbehaving!  She was even prouder of the fact that four of her six children shared duplicate birthdays: Dave and Anne on February 22, and Mike and Joe on April 2.  Each older child took responsibility for a younger child, and pairing was according to shared birthdays.  Nese, of course, was in charge of Carole Sue.  This mentorship must have been well-founded because all siblings emulate attributes of kindness, responsibility, honesty, and gratitude.

While raising their children, Carole worked the graveyard shift at St. James’ Emergency Room.  She was always a “night owl, ” and an avid reader and philosophical writer and poet. Coke and coffee were her beverages of choice, and when she sat in her chair she twirled the same curl in her hair.  Keenly competitive, she possessed a razor sharp memory, shrewdly played any card game, and loved a good game of Bridge. She was a Scout Leader as well as a CCD teacher. Supper was served promptly at 6 P.M. daily without exception, curfews were rigid and non-negotiable, and if you were sick you had better be in bed! Mom also designed and sewed Barbie clothes long before doll clothes were available in stores.  

In the late 1960’s, Carole became a foster mother to newborn babies awaiting adoption.  She always said that the bonding process was vital and our large family had plenty of love to share with these precious babies. “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart….”

In 1972, Carole and Dennis moved to Hamilton and purchased the Main Street Market. Mom buzzed around town in her 1966 Ford Mustang, and loved living close to her Papa again.  Four years later they built the Main Street Wash-O-Mat Laundromat, which they later sold to their son Joe, and daughter-in-law Cathy, in 1988. That same year they retired and began traveling to visit children and grandchildren.   Both enjoyed good health until 2012.            

Carole was preceded in death by Dennis, her husband of 65 years, on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2013;  her son Michael, in April 1996;  her parents, her brother and sister.  She always said that parents struggle in day-to-day living after burying a child, no matter the age of that child. Her surviving children are DENISE and Marty Struznik of Butte; DAVE and Laurie Claxton of Billings and Arizona; CAROLE and Kirk Petty of Ranchester, Wyoming; JOE and Cathy Claxton of Hamilton; ANNIE and Peter Zora of Hamilton and Denver; and former daughter-in-law SHEILA Claxton of Missoula.  Dennis and Carole were very proud to be grandparents to 16 Grandchildren and 12 Great-Grandchildren:  MARK and Lindsey Struznik, and children Mimi, Jake, and Libby; STACIE and Jason Stall, and sons Nicholas and Blake; ERIC and Erika Claxton; CHRISTOPHER and Tamara Claxton and daughter Kieran;  SHAWN Claxton and son Aiden; KIM Ferguson and daughters Brooklyn and Annika; KEVIN Claxton; MARK Claxton; BRIAN and Alison Petty and children Silvia and Wesley; MATTHEW Petty and sons Owen and Quin; MICHELLE Petty; TYLER Claxton; JONATHAN and Hollee Claxton; AMELIA and Jared Uncles; SARAH and Ben Crossman; and AMY Zora and fiance’ Chris O’Driscoll.   Fortuitous as it may have been, her grandchildren called her “Grandma Peanuts” because of her love of Charles Schulz’ famous comic strip and her extensive collection of Peanuts memorabilia.

We wish to express deep gratitude for the healthcare professionals who cared for our Mom at Discovery Care Center these past two years.  We know that it has not been easy to be critiqued and lectured by an old charge nurse with a sharp tongue and a stubborn streak to match!         

              Visitation will be held on Tuesday evening, November 24, 2015 from 6:00 until 7:00 P.M. at the Daly-Leach Chapel with Rosary Services following at 7:00 P.M.  Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 A.M. on Wednesday, November 25, 2015 at St. Francis Catholic Church of Hamilton.  Rite of Committal will follow at Riverview Cemetery in Hamilton. Father Jim Conner will serve as Celebrant. There will be a reception following the committal services at the Pastoral Life Center next to the church.

            An excerpt from Mom’s Christmas Letter reminds us that “Life is family, Love is family, Our reason for being is family, We are all bound by unbreakable ties.  Sometimes these ties bend and stretch from the choices we make, but like elastic, they rebound to make the family circle once again…”  Yes, Mom you have had the last word!

The family suggests that memorials be made in Carole’s name to Marcus Daly Hospice, 1200 Westwood Drive, Hamilton, MT  59840 or to Watson’s Children’s Home, 4978 Buckhouse Lane, Missoula, MT  59804 or to the charity of the donor’s choice.  Condolences may be left for the family at www.dalyleachchapel.com

   “Do not go gentle into that good night…Rage, rage against the dying of the light!”  - Dylan Thomas

                                      Thanks for giving us life, MOM, and thanks for the great hair!