Flora Lee Carey

Flora Lee Wright was born on September 6, 1938 in Glenns Ferry, Idaho, the eldest daughter of Harold Steele and Mae Ellis Wright. She entered into her eternal rest on July 5, 2026 at the age of 87 years old.

Flora’s father, Harold Steele Wright worked for the Union Pacific Railroad and moved the family to Pocatello in 1945. Flora attended Pocatello schools and graduated from Pocatello High School in 1956.

Harold and Mae loved the outdoors and Flora spent her summers camping and fishing with her parents, and her younger sister Marie.

While attending high school, Flora met Max Carey, a local delivery driver for Garrett Freightlines, and they fell in love and were married shortly after her graduation on August 12, 1956.

Flora gave birth to her first son, Richard Edward in 1957. Her second son, Douglas Steven was born in 1960, followed by their only daughter, Catherine Ann who was born in 1963.

Flora stayed at home to raise her children during their early years, but once they were in school, she went to work at the Labor Union Hall in Pocatello. She worked for both the Operating Engineers and Laborer Unions for many years, and became a highly respected and valued advocate for the members who worked out of her office. She worked there until her retirement.

Flora always loved to dance, and Max was also a good dancer, so they would regularly get a sitter and go out for an evening of music and dancing.

They also liked to play Pinochle, and were part of the local Pinochle club, where they made lots of long-time friends.

Flora loved to read, and spent a great deal of time reading books to her young children. This particularly instilled a true love for reading in her son Richard, who is still an avid reader to this day.

She also loved to study the Bible, spending hours each week listening to Bible studies, making notes, and investigating the scriptures. Her and Max were active members of the Central Christian Church for many years, and also supported several other ministries later in life.

Flora also liked to cook, and her specialty was her baked goods. Her homemade rolls and dessert breads were delightfully enjoyed by hundreds of people over the years who were blessed to have encountered the fruit of her labors.

In the early 1970s, Flora and Max purchased a piece of property on Henry’s Lake outlet, where they built a summer vacation retreat. They would spend some time each spring and fall in the beauty and solitude of Henry’s Lake, fishing, relaxing, and just enjoying God’s creation.

In 1998, Flora and Max moved to a newer home in Chubbuck. Here, she found joy working in the yard, planting flowers and making it a beautiful and peaceful place. Resident birds would come to bathe in her birdbath and enjoy the bread crusts she would leave out for them, especially during the winter months when food was scarce. She never wanted “her birds” to be hungry. In her soul, Flora was a true homebody and was happiest just being at her home and making it a welcoming and comfortable place for their family and friends.

Chubbuck remained her home until her beloved husband Max passed away at the age of 90. They shared a full lifetime of 70 wonderful years together – a rare accomplishment in today’s world.

Flora’s story would not be complete if we omitted the final chapter of her life. Tragically, she began having memory issues and was diagnosed with Lewy Body dementia in 2018. It is a cruel disease that progressively places the patient into an altered state of reality where friends and family are viewed as liars and thieves. Flora began suffering from these terrible delusions, which got progressively worse and strained many relationships for the last several years of her life.

The family offers a special plea to all of you who were adversely affected by Flora’s unkind words and false accusations. Please forgive her and know that this was the only the disease speaking, and not our beloved Flora. The people closest to her also suffered some of the same accusations and rude comments, but we knew it was typical for the progression of this horrible disease. We humbly ask that you try your best to remember Flora as she was before this disease consumed her mind and transformed her into someone unrecognizable to anyone who knew her before the dementia struck her down.

Her husband Max was her primary caregiver for those final difficult 8 years of their life together, and he simply didn’t have the heart to remove her from her home, choosing instead to lovingly care for her the best he could right up until his death at the age of 90 years old. After his death, their children placed Flora in the Gables, a first-class memory care facility, where she could get the full-time care that she needed. Just 11 weeks later, she passed away peacefully in her sleep, with her daughter Catherine by her side.

The family would like to extend a sincere thank you to all the caregivers and hospice workers at the Gables and Heritage Home Health & Hospice for all the excellent care Flora received during her short stay there. We sincerely wish you could have known Mom before she became ill. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for making her life more comfortable during her last days on this earth.

Flora was preceded in death by her husband Max, her granddaughters, Jennifer Lynne Carey, Melanie Ann Carey, and Micah Nicole Story. She leaves behind a great legacy, being survived by her two sons, Richard (Patricia) Carey and Douglas (Penny) Carey, her daughter Catherine (Curtis) Story, her sister Marie Williams, 12 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren. We will all treasure her memory and look forward to being reunited with her someday in glory.

A graveside service will be held at 1:30 pm on Thursday, July 9, 2026 at Restlawn Memorial Gardens, 2864 S 5th Avenue, Pocatello, ID.

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