Alice I. LaFollette

Alice Irene LaFollette was born in Noblesville, IN on September 5, 1942 to Irene and Robert Edwards. A beautiful young woman with striking dark hair and green eyes, she caught the eye of the late Gene LaFollette. He took her to the roller skating rink and the rest was history! They were married on June 4, 1959, and soon after, had their first daughter, Jennifer, and in 1963, their second daughter, Pennie.

Alice was always a child at heart, and as a young mom, was active, fun, and lively. She loved animals of all types and even put on a backyard circus with her daughters to raise money for the local humane society. Throughout her life, she took in and cared for many orphaned animals: bunnies, kittens, skunks, birds, and even a chipmunk named Taz. When she was a small child, she tucked some eggs she found into her apron, took them home, and put them in the fridge. A few hours later, her mom opened the fridge to find a bowl full of baby snakes!

Being such an animal lover, Alice of course had many pets - a horse named Blue, dogs, cats, birds, and the most unusual, frogs! She had terrariums full of frogs and toads for years, to the delight of her 4 grandchildren. And don’t even think of throwing food scraps in the trash - those go on a plate for the animals outside!

She loved reading, crafting, writing to pen pals, authoring poems, drawing, and supporting many organizations such as the Wounded Warrior Project, St. Joseph’s Indian School, and the Humane Society for Hamilton County.

Alice became a grandma for the first time on her 40th birthday in September of 1982, then again in 1985, 1991, and 1995. She was an excellent grandmother, teaching the kids, putting on “Teddy Bear Picnics,” singing with them, telling stories, teaching them “The Twist,” and best of all - ice cream sundaes after school with chocolate sauce and rainbow sprinkles! She always had a jar full of M&M’s ready for guests at all times and a special snack drawer that always had some sort of cookie the grandkids could sneak.

Taking her mothering and grandmothering skills to the workplace, Alice worked as a school bus aide for Carmel Clay Schools in the 2000s. She kept her spunk, spark, and creativity to the bus and all throughout her life, with painted nails, embellished clothing, a pearly headband, and singing and dancing every day.

She entered the arms of our Lord just 11 months after her late husband, while residing in Majestic Care of Carmel.

She is survived by her daughter Pennie Skinner, grandchildren Stephanie (Bryan) Damrell, Candice (Andrew) Hughes, Luke Skinner, and Alexis Skinner, and her great-grandchildren, Alex, Ruthi, Peter, Merilynn, Shepherd, and Jeshua. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sisters, Susan Marie Deloach, Julia Louise Anders (Tootie), and baby brother, Jimmy. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Gene LaFollette, and her oldest daughter, Jennifer Williams.

Visitation will be held on Monday, November 17, 2025 from 11am -1pm, followed by a service at 1pm, all at Leppert Mortuary - Carmel Chapel, 900 N. Rangeline Rd., Carmel, Indiana. Burial will follow at Carmel Cemetery. To share a memory, please visit www.leppertmortuary.com.