Carole Larivee

Waynesville, Carole Mae Carson Larivee, 74, passed away on Saturday, April 22, 2017 at her residence after an extended battle with melanoma. A native of Gaffney, South Carolina and prior resident of Miami, Florida, she was the daughter of the late Fred and Mae Jones Carson. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Bruce Larivee, who died in 2016. Carole was born in 1943 in Gaffney, South Carolina. She spent most of her childhood in College Park, Georgia and graduated from College Park High School prior to completing a degree at Georgia State University. Her first fulltime job was to serve as secretary in the new computer department at the home office of Kroger Company. She became interested in the new technology but was refused training, being a woman. Undeterred, she then secretly worked within the department to learn computing skills. Upon on moving to Miami, she was hired by Eastern Airlines and was soon serving as a systems analyst. She continued as a supervisor in the Operations Department when Continental Airlines bought the airline. In mid-life, Carole returned to school to fulfill a lifetime dream of being a nurse while still working fulltime for the airline industry. Soon after graduation, she and her husband of forty-two years, Bruce Larivee, (now deceased), moved to Haywood County, North Carolina. There she worked at Haywood Regional Medical Center until retirement. Her interests were hiking, feeding birds, nature and politics. Carole was an ardent Democrat and worked tirelessly in the county, serving in numerous committees and carrying many responsibilities to further the party interests. She was recognized for her "exceptional loyalty and commitment to the Haywood County Democratic Party" in 2016 with a lifetime desire to help the less fortunate, she was an outspoken advocate in many causes to benefit the welfare of those less fortunate. Carole is survived by a son, Robert Jackson; grandchildren, Max and Scottie Jackson, Allie and Nick Maguire, Jason, Erin Eli and Krista Lujan; a sister, Allein Stanley, of Mount Holly, North Carolina; a brother, Louis Carson, of Thousand Oaks, California; many nephews and nieces and grandnieces. Her close friend, Sylvia Blakeslee is to be remembered by the family for such loving care and comfort she gave Carole during her illness. A private memorial in glorification of her joyous life will be held at a later time. Memorials may be made to SARGE'S Animal Rescue Foundation, P.O. Box 854, Waynesville, NC 28786.