Carolee McBride Baumgart

Carolee was born in Murray, Utah, on September 23, 1938, to Asahel and Oleta Whitaker McBride. She grew up in Sandy, Provo, and eventually the Millcreek area of Salt Lake City. She graduated from Granite High School and was always proud to be a “Granitian.” She later attended Brigham Young University, earning her associate's degree.

Carolee met Milt Baumgart after he moved in across the street from her family on Gregson Avenue. Following several years, including Milt's mission, they married in the Salt Lake Temple on August 23, 1965.

Together, they made their home in Salt Lake City, where they lived for nearly 50 years and raised their three children: Jenna, Kelly, and Joel.

Carolee was an incredibly hard worker. Early in her career, she worked as a secretary and was known for her speed and skill, typing more than 110 words per minute on a manual typewriter and taking shorthand quickly enough that her boss never had to slow down. She later spent many years helping with her father’s restaurant, Nero’s, where she did everything from payroll to the daily bread run and was always willing to do whatever needed to be done. After her father retired and sold the restaurant, she began working part-time in patient registration at Intermountain Health, where she worked for more than a decade and made some of her closest friends.

She was deeply involved in her children's lives, driving them to lessons, attending concerts, ball games, and dance performances. She taught them to work hard and was always there to support them.

She was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many callings over the years, including Relief Society President, ward music chair, and visiting teacher. She quietly kept in touch with those who needed someone to talk to, looking forward to daily calls from a widow in her ward.

Carolee loved Christmas and having her family together. There was always plenty of food, fun, and tradition. She often sat at the kitchen counter, making lists in shorthand that no one else could read. At Christmas, she used that same shorthand for gift lists and laughed as her children tried, and failed, to figure out what she was buying them.

Music was another joy for Carolee, and she almost always had the radio on, delighting in songs by Roger Whittaker and Don Williams.

Each summer, Carolee especially looked forward to visits from her brother Vaughn, who came from Kentucky. He called her “Flower” and teased her constantly. While he was in town, she usually helped him with typing and editing his stage plays.

Carolee loved being a grandmother. Her home, especially the swimming pool, was a favorite place for her grandchildren. They knew there would be pink frosted cookies or Dunford donuts waiting for them. She was also surprisingly good at Crash Bandicoot, and if a grandchild got stuck on a level, they knew Gramma could help them get past it.

In later years, after moving with Milt from their longtime family home to retirement and assisted living, they made new friends and enjoyed reading, watching westerns, and visits from loved ones.

Carolee was preceded in death by her husband Milt, her parents and her brother, Vaughn McBride.

She is survived by her children, Jenna Baumgart (Gary Ray), Kelly Harris (Lance), and Joel Baumgart (Emilee), 11 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren.

The family is especially grateful to the staff at Meadow Peak Senior Living and Independence Home and Hospice for their kindness and care.

A viewing will be held on Friday, May 15, 2026, at the Salt Lake Grant Stake Building (3151 South 900 East, Salt Lake City, UT) from 1:00-1:45 PM. Funeral services will be after the viewing at 2:00 PM.

Interment will take place at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, 3401 S. Highland Drive, Millcreek, UT 84106, US, on May 15, 2026 in the Northmont Garden.