Carolyn Cathryn Billion Healy, 88, died peacefully on Sept. 15, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Carolyn was born on Jan. 19, 1938, in Sioux Falls to Henry Billion and Evelyn (Heinz) Billion. Carolyn attended Cathedral School (both grade school and high school) in Sioux Falls, graduating in 1956. She then attended St. Catherine University in Minneapolis, where she earned a B.S. in medical technology. She also later attended Augustana University in Sioux Falls, earning her B.A. in journalism.
In 1961, after meeting him on the Covell Lake ice rink a few years earlier, Carolyn married Patrick Joseph Healy. Their life together was full of adventure, full of laughs and love, and full of friends and family.
Carolyn’s passion for variety can be seen throughout her career. She worked in the medical field for some time. She also opened and ran Audio Ad Productions, an advertising agency, writing and producing many ads with catchy tunes and stories for Billion Motors and others. And then she turned her love for dressing up into a Costume Shop business in her late 50s.
Carolyn loved to swim, and insisted that a swimming pool, lake, or even a pond always be within reach. She was a tennis player and a golfer, and loved to snow ski and water ski, and of course ice skate. She was an avid writer with her short stories, skits, poetry, treasure hunts and songs. She played the piano her entire life and added the drums to her repertoire later. She spent most of her time in her later life painting. She loved being an artist and would challenge your thinking with her insightful, yet playful pieces EVERYWHERE in her house.
Carolyn enjoyed spending her retirement winters in Arizona with her husband Pat and many friends. Her house in Sun City, Arizona, was certainly the place to be, and their parties were legendary. She and Pat moved to Florida in 2024 for their last adventure, as they so wanted to take on a hurricane.
She is survived by everyone who woke up this morning, a whole bunch of Billion relatives, and her children and grandchildren.
Michael Healy (Sonya), Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Sons: Corbin (Katie) and Connor (Katie) Healy, St. Petersburg. Daughter: Keira (Kelton) Daniel Healy (Lydia), Sioux Falls. Daughter: Ashly; sons: Peter and Nathan (Mia).
Everyone who knew Carolyn knows she wasn't one for a sad remembrance, so let’s celebrate. Her husband, Pat, passed away on Aug. 9, 2026, and the family will be hosting a TWO FOR ONE Irish Wake on Oct. 10th from 5:30 to 10 p.m. at DMI – Diesel Machinery Inc. (4201 N. Cliff Ave. in Sioux Falls) after a family burial at St. Michael’s Cemetery, also on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 3 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to: Lifescape Children’s Specialty Hospital, 2501 W. 26th Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57105. Donate - LifeScape.
“I am off meeting God in the clouds…..Love ya….Carolyn.”
From Carolyn: “If you are reading this, I am most likely in the wing shop. It is a trendy little boutique just inside the pearly gates and it is crowded today. Most people shopping, however, are in a good mood and busy studying color charts for their new wings, so they don’t mind the wait. You see, wing selection is the first important task all we newcomers face on our way to becoming an angel of God. There are samples of finished products hanging on the walls of the shop and they are stunning. I have never seen such brilliant and beautifully colored wings. Whatever shall I choose? I guess on earth my color was not quite so overwhelming. I tended to blend things so much that I sometimes lost clarity and just showed up as mud. However, mud suited me well. I did a little bit of a lot of things, none of which made me rich or famous, but when I put them all together, I think you could count me as an MVP in the game of life. I did not make it to the pro circuit, of course, but I think I did okay in my own amateur arena. And then, of course, there were the sparkles: the tiny chips of color I threw on the mud to spiff it up. I was big on sparkles in my earthly lifetime. My mud glittered!”
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