John R. 'Bud' Carroll

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Carroll, John R. "Bud" 93, prominent long-time real estate attorney, passed away peacefully on February 23, 2019 at Jones- Harrison Residences in Minneapolis. He was born in Minneapolis in September 1925 to Mildred L. (Lindberg) and Gerald T. Carroll Sr. Bud was a wonderful, loving and committed husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and uncle. He lived his life to its fullest and had many close friends, including several dating back to his early childhood and high school days. Bud possessed an engaging, uplifting personality and had a wonderful, infectious, memorable laugh. His great grandchildren especially looked forward to visits with "Grandpa Buddy", and will miss him dearly. Bud attended Washburn High School where he met the love of his life, Jeanne M. Leach. They began dating as Juniors, graduated together in 1942, and were married in 1946. They enjoyed 71 wonderful years of marriage until Jeanne's death in 2017. After graduating high school at age 16, Bud attended St. Thomas College, where he would later earn a degree in Engineering. Shortly after his 18th birthday, he enlisted in the US Army Air Corp.. He graduated from Aerial Gunnery School and became a ball-turret gunner on B-17 bombers. He was awarded the American Theater Service Ribbon and honorably discharged with the rank of Corporal in 1946, following the end of the war. He entered law school at The University of Minnesota, received a Law degree, and was admitted to the Minnesota and Hennepin County Bar Associations in 1950. While still in law school, he went to work for the law firm of Johnson & Sands where he met his mentor, George Maloney. In 1954, Bud and George formed their own law firm "Maloney, Carroll & Olson", specializing in real estate law. They soon became one of the preeminent real estate law firms in Minnesota where they specialized in title, banking and foreclosure law. In 1974, they merged Maloney, Carroll & Olson with Best & Flanagan, where Bud continued to practice law and mentor young lawyers until his retirement in 2001 at the age of 76. Bud loved practicing law and was loath to retire at the normal age 65. The employees at the Hennepin County Registrar of Deeds office, who Bud interacted with frequently and knew fondly, hosted a 65th "retirement" party for Bud that later grew into an annual event. At his last and final retirement party they erected a banner at the court house that read, "Welcome to the 11th annual Bud Carroll retirement party". While practicing law, Bud joined the faculty at his alma mater as an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota, where he taught real estate law classes in both the Extension Division and Law School for 22 years. At the request of the U of M Law School, Bud was a guest lecturer at Beijing University in Beijing, China. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Bud was recruited by the US State Department to join a group of legal experts tasked with helping Russia transition to the private ownership of land. Bud spent 3 months in Moscow, Russia helping to write statutes and legal procedures for the foreclosure and redemption of mortgages. During his career, Bud was an active member of the Minnesota and Hennepin County Bar Associations where, on two separate occasions, he served as Chairman of the Real Properties section. He was also inducted as a Fellow into The American College of Real Estate Lawyers, a premier national organization of distinguished lawyers known for their outstanding legal ability, experience, and high standards of professional conduct. Always athletic, Bud was a proficient golfer, skier and avid tennis player. He was a member of Minneapolis Golf Course for 53 years where, in his prime, he carried a 3 handicap. He scored two hole-in- ones during his life, and proudly shot-his-age when he was 80 years old. His idea of a great day of vacation was to play 18 holes of golf in the morning, 18 more in the afternoon, then finish the day with two hours of doubles tennis. Bud spent many memorable hours teaching his grandkids, Dan and Elizabeth, to downhill ski, which they will remember with great fondness. Bud is survived by two sons, Thomas Carroll of Mpls., Michael (Lynne) Carroll of Raleigh, NC; a daughter, Sally (Greg) Wingate of Phoenix, AZ; 2 grandchildren, Daniel (Elizabeth) Carroll and Elizabeth (Ronald Jr) Hamner, both of Raleigh, NC; 4 great grandchildren, Brody and Ryan Carroll, and Katelyn and Ellie Hamner; a brother, Gerald Jr. (Janice) Carroll of Mpls.; Sister-in- law, Jane Leach of Los Angeles; and several nieces and nephews. A memorial service and Mass will be held on Wednesday, April 10th, 2019 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Edina, MN at 11:00 AM, with a reception starting at 10:00 AM and a light luncheon at noon, following Mass. A private military internment will follow at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. The family extends a gracious thank you to the staff at Jones-Harrison Residences in Mpls for their wonderful care of Bud over the last several years, and to Grace Hospice for their loving care of him over the past few months. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Jones-Harrison Residences ( a non- profit organization ), or to a hospice of your choice. Arrangements: GILLBROTHERS.com MINNEAPOLIS, MN 612-861-6088

Published on April 7, 2019