Mary Dot Carrier

Mary Dorothy Carrier, (Always known as Mary Dot) a former Indianapolis resident, died Tuesday, November 15, 2016 at Morristown Manor. She was 99. Mrs. Carrier, the widow of Gerald M. Carrier, former executive secretary of the Arthur Jordan Foundation, was the mother of eight children and was known for her strong Catholic religious faith and her self-deprecating sense of humor. She was born Mary Dorothy Emig in Erie, PA, and moved at an early age to Connersville, IN, where she spent her childhood. She was a senior at Indiana University, majoring in education, when her parents died. Consequently, she left college just short of graduation. She married Mr. Carrier in 1939, and the young couple settled in Indianapolis. The Carriers moved to Bedford, IN, in 1945 and returned to Indianapolis in 1959. Mr. Carrier died in 2002. As a child of the Great Depression and mother of a large family, Mrs. Carrier knew the value of a dollar. “She would always buy the cheapest store brands,” her son, Gerald L. Carrier of Philadelphia, PA, recalled. “She was serious about saving money, but she could laugh about it, too. To hear her tell it, the refrigerator was stocked with polecat beer and rat-trap cheese.” Despite her frugal ways, when the family finances improved, Mrs. Carrier was extremely generous, not only with her children, but also to various charitable causes, usually Catholic Church-related, her family recalled. In Bedford, Mrs. Carrier was a Welcome Wagon hostess and served a term as president of the citywide Parent-Teacher Association. She was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. In Indianapolis, Mrs. Carrier was an active member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church, where she was involved in the parish’s Bible study group. Her choice of refreshment while reading the Bible was a source of amusement to her children. “I was studying literature and went to ask Mom the meaning of irony,” another son, Daniel S. Carrier of Orange, CA, remembered. “She was in the living room, reading the Bible and drinking a beer. I didn’t need to ask.” He was quick to add, however, that her intake would consist of no more than two beers. She was never intoxicated, he said. As a busy mother, Mrs. Carrier was never able to accumulate the few college credits she needed for a degree. However, after her children became adults, she finally found work in an education-related field. For several years, she worked at the Indianapolis Public Library teaching young adults how to read. Survivors include son, Gerald L. Carrier of Philadelphia, PA, daughter, Martha S. Ashton of Coarsegold, CA., son, James R. Carrier of Manilla, IN., son, John V. Carrier of Winona, MN, son, Thomas J. Carrier of Greenfield, IN, son, Daniel S. Carrier of Orange, CA, and son Richard A. Carrier of Charlotte, NC; 19 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. One daughter, Nancy E. O’Hara of Indianapolis and her sister, Betty Parnell, preceded her in death. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, November 26th at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 4218 E. Michigan Road in Shelbyville, Indiana. There will be a bereavement dinner immediately after the funeral mass at St. Vincent Hall. Services have been entrusted to Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Memorial contributions may be made to Society of St. Vincent de Paul, 1201 E. Maryland St., Indianapolis, IN 46202.