Rosanna Carmichael, Age 86, of Butte

On October 15, 2020, Rosanna passed away peacefully at home due to natural causes. She was born in Butte, Montana on March 12, 1934 to Paul and Rosanna (Regan) McDonald. Rosanna was 86 years old.

Rosanna grew up on Gold Street in Butte and attended St. Patrick’s School and Girl’s Central High School (class of 1952). She relocated down to Sampson Street on the flat in Butte when her mother and father bought a house there in 1952–the very same house she lived in until her death. Her older brother Paul, who had joined the Navy in 1944, had already started his own family was also living in Butte at that time.

In her school years, Rosanna was active in school productions and loved taking pictures of family and friends. Several very full picture albums attest to her enjoyment of putting photos with her own captions for everyone she knew as well as her childhood dog, Tippy. Over the years, many more family members and friends would be added to the photo collection, as well as several other very loved pets.

Rosanna’s early jobs following high school were at St. James Hospital and AT&T which was simply called the Telephone Company. In the late 1960’s she went to work for the Montana Standard and was a member of the Butte Typographical Union as in those days every job in Butte was a union job. The group of people she worked with at the paper proudly called themselves “Printers” and were the men and women that typeset and printed the entire paper together every day which was no small task. Over the following 30 or so years, Rosanna was grudgingly drawn into several technological changes that came to the paper as computers slowly made their way into the business. She eventually retired from the Standard in 1996.

While all that was happening, Rosanna married Richard Carmichael in 1963. Their son Paul was born the following year. Unfortunately, the marriage did not last long, so Rosanna took on the challenge of being a single mother and by all accounts did a great job raising Paul, certainly in part due to help from her father Paul and brother Paul and his family.

In her later years, Rosanna was somewhat of a homebody. At the Butte Central 100 year anniversary in 2014, several of her life-long friends commented on how it was impossible to get her to come out for the event and most of the time even just for lunch. Instead, she had her daily routine of attending mass and taking the car out for a “little ride” to visit scenic places like the Nine Mile or Rocker with her dog for company.

She is survived by her son Paul, nephews John and Denis McDonald, and niece Julie (McDonald) Rasmussen.

She is preceded in death by her parents Paul and Rosanna McDonald, brother Paul and his wife Aileen (Hanekan) McDonald, and nephews Joe and Tony McDonald.

Friends may call on Friday, November 13, 2020, after 10 a.m. in St. John’s Catholic Church in Butte. Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. at the church. Rite of Committal will follow in Holy Cross Cemetery on Harrison Avenue. For safety, please observe all health and social distancing regulations.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Chelsea Bailey Animal Shelter’s Albert’s Angel Fund (www.albertsangelfund.org) or any charity that will honor Rosanna’s memory.

Please visit below to offer a condolence or share a memory of Rosanna. Axelson Funeral and Cremation Services has been privileged to care for Rosanna and her family.

Service Schedule

Visitation

10 AM to 11 AM

Friday November 13, 2020

St. John's Catholic Church

1500 Majors St.

Butte, Montana 59701

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Funeral Mass

11 AM

Friday November 13, 2020

St. John's Catholic Church

1500 Majors St.

Butte, Montana 59701

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Rite of Committal

Following Mass

Friday November 13, 2020

Holy Cross Cemetery

Harrison Ave.

Butte, Montana 59701

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