Carie Janene Graham

Carie Graham was born on July 31, 1949, and left our presence too early at the age of seventy-seven on October 7, 2026. Preceded in death by her husband, T. Douglas Graham. Survived by son, Derek and his wife, Brittany, and their two children, Noah and Cora, and son, Stuart and his significant other, Stacey. Also survived by her brother, Tom and wife, Connie, and sister, Carla and her significant other, Gene.

Carie was born in Sandpoint, Idaho shortly after making it to the hospital from the logging camp on Priest Lake, Idaho. She spent summers with family growing up in the logging camps managed by her father, and during the school year lived on a ranch in Superior, Montana, where among other things she learned to fish and ride horses into the mountains. Life on the ranch was busy with chores and running to the bus, and some of her best friends were her siblings, Tom and Carla, and they remained close until Carie passed.

Ranch life ended when Carie moved to Missoula with her family where she attended Sentinel High School and quickly made friends with a few girls that to her final day she considered among her best. After graduating in 1967, Carie attended Montana State University, where she would later graduate and become a teacher for a short period.

As a freshman at Montana State University, Carie met Doug. An initial friendship budded into a loving marriage, which started with a proposal in 1973. The marriage came with a move shortly thereafter to Chicago, Illinois – by way of a short stint in Chillicothe, Ohio. Carie agreed to this move but was resistant to leaving Montana, which she had described as digging her heels in and making ruts along Interstate 90 going east. However, the friendships made in the Chicagoland area would long be some of her favorites.

Carie and Doug were welcomed into the community and became fast friends with the family of a child on the youth hockey team that Doug began coaching. Soon Carie and Doug grew roots in LaGrange Park and she established a vast network of friends. Derek, and later Stuart, would be born in 1980 and 1981.

Carie was preceded in death by her husband, Doug, in 1994, and she raised Derek and Stuart on her own. Using the strategy of keeping them busy, and therefore too occupied and tired to get in trouble – being mostly successful – both Derek and Stuart would go on to fulfilling lives of their own directly rooted in the ethics inspired by their mother.

She continued to work as a paralegal for thirty-five years, became an active member of PEO, joined book clubs and grew her library of read books, was an expert seamstress and knitter, earned an additional degree in landscape design and horticulture, became a masterful cook, and developed longstanding relationships with neighbors. The impact she had on others, the friendships that were established, and the community that she helped foster in the area may not be fully recognized in words.

In 2018, Carie returned to the place she called home. This never diminished her love for her community in the Chicagoland area, but after a temporary stint of forty-five years (her words), she returned west to Missoula. Carie was now closer to her brother and sister, and back in the area that in her heart was home.

Carie quickly engaged with old friends, became an active member of Trout Unlimited, joined the local PEO chapter, participated in book clubs, played mahjong, rode horses with her sister, traveled, took classes at the university, spoiled her grandchildren with time and energy, and spent an untold amount of hours fly fishing, her favorite activity.

Carie was active until her very last moments and was persistently selfless. She was always willing to engage and help those in need and was endlessly generous with her time and energy. Carie approached life in a way that should be an inspiration for all. There was very little that she was resistant to try and didn’t put things off for another day. Continually curious and eager to learn, she was often ready to expand her knowledge and experience. Carie should be a model for everyone in that she consistently had a positive attitude, was generous and willing to help others, and challenged herself in a way that led to a fulfilled life.

Carie Graham will be missed by many and her time with us has passed too soon. However, she would be telling us to remain positive and help others, laugh and live life to its fullest, and get another line in the water.