Carol D. Leach

Carol Delores Leach, 69 of Hamilton passed away Thursday, June 28, 2012 at the Marcus Daly Hospice and Palliative Care Center in Hamilton.
Carol was born on August 26, 1942 in Waterloo, Iowa the daughter of Elroy and Alice Floberg Shelstad.
She moved with her parents to Shelby, Montana, where she started school. The family later moved to Burley, Idaho, where she graduated from High School in 1960. Carol attended Boise Jr. College in Boise for one year.
On February 2, 1962 she married Eddie G. Leach in Twin Falls, Idaho. Carol worked as a retail clerk in Burley and Twin Falls.
The couple moved to Gooding, Idaho and in November of 1964 moved to Alameda, California. They returned to Gooding, Idaho in 1967 and then moved to Hamilton, Montana in July of 1971.
Carol was a devoted mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She served as a Girl Scout Leader for two troops for a number of years. She worked for the Hang up several years before going to work for Ford's Federated. Carol did custom alterations for a many years. She enjoyed Crafting and had her own craft show several years.
In 1984, she and her husband began operating the Daly-Leach Chapel, and she became a major part of the funeral home.
Carol served on the Hospice Board as Chairperson for several years and was instrumental to the fund raising effort for the Marcus Daly Hospice Center. She organized the Duck Derby for Hospice, and began the Memory Walk project.
From 1983 to 1993 Carol and Ed were involved in the AFS program in the valley, they felt they could learn so much from other cultures. The couple personally hosted 8 girls over the years. Later they were able to travel to some of the girls homes and to meet their families. Carol thoroughly enjoyed taking her daughters and granddaughters to meet the exchange girls' families over the past few years. Individually she travelled with her daughters and grandchildren so they would have fond memories of a special trip, sharing Carol's love of travel. She traveled whenever her spirit moved her.
Ed and Carol spent several years "snow birding" in Yuma, AZ. where she enjoyed many friends, silver smithing, cards, jewelry making, shopping in Mexico and just having adventures with friends. She was always a leader and enjoyed planning and organizing. Following Ed's death in 2008, Carol took special effort to spend time with her family members. She continued wintering in Yuma and "freezing in Montana in the summers."
When diagnosed with cancer in August 2007; Carol decided to embrace the disease and run with it. The last four years she has traveled the world, sharing memories with her daughters and granddaughters. All of this was done while in several clinical studies for cancer research in Scottsdale, AZ. She met some incredible Scientists, Doctors and Nurses. She was honored to be a part of their program. Carol felt, "For every door God closed, He opened another." She was always willing to take the steps to see what the next door had to offer.
She is survived by daughters: Kendra (Norman) Williams of Corvallis, Mt; Carron (Tom) Grymes of Hamilton, Mt; mother, Alice Shelstad of Hamilton, MT; brothers, John Shelstad of Lake Havasu, AZ and Shelley (Nancy) Shelstad of Boise, Idaho; granddaughters, Becca (Jim) Larson of Yuma, AZ., Kelcie and (Allen) Havens of Dillon, MT., Kyla and KaSondra Grymes of Hamilton, MT., and Cierra Williams of Corvallis, MT; great granddaughters Kaylyn and Allison Larson of Yuma, AZ; adopted mother, Mable McKillop; special friends, Nancy (Ron) Osborn and Joanne (Jim) Hill.
She was preceded in death by her husband Ed and father Elroy Shelstad.