Carol Joy Casady Rugg

Carol was a very special lady. We did a lot of fun things together over the years. Was honored to have her as part of our family.

Carol was kind and caring and strong, and a very dear friend for nearly 20 years. I am honored she welcomed me into her life as a part of her family. God bless you Carol, we love you and miss you.

Carol was an incredibly loved, cherished, and valued member of the Wasatch Presbyterian Preschool family. We feel very fortunate to have enjoyed her genuine kindness and friendship for so many years. We will keep her in our hearts forever. ♥️

Carol was a wonderful, cheerful human being. I loved getting to know her these last few years at WPPS. We will all miss her so much. Much love and comfort to all of you in this sad time.
Kathy Orme

I love carol so much! She was beautiful classy & the sweetest lady. I will never forget the fun times boating & family gatherings. I can't believe she's in heaven now. Carol will always be loved & never forgotten.

I am in disbelief of my sweet cousins passing. I remember all the fun things we did together through all the years. I will always remember her sweet smile and contagious laugh. Rest in peace and know that I will miss you everyday 💔.

Carol was such a wonderfully quiet, steady soul that her wry wit could make you laugh as much from the surprise of it as from the subtle humor of what she’d said. What she couldn’t hide was the delightful gleam in her eye that followed, and her resulting pleasure and good will. In 20 years of working with Carol through a myriad of church projects, I got to know her as a reliable professional and dear friend. She never lost track of a nickel, and never uttered an unkind word, or at least one that I heard. Carol’s sudden death on the threshold of a well deserved retirement makes her loss twice the sorrow. Sleep well, gentle sister.

I cannot pick a favorite memory, but I tend to miss the small things about her. I will miss when I walked into her house that she would come walking out of the kitchen laughing and arms open for a hug. I am going to miss the look she would give me when I knocked early on the game blitz (Which I did often) and when she would ask for a ‘penalty’ on the game Shanghai. Not sure how she would do it but she would win so many of our games together.

Howie’s favorite thing to play with is always Gigi’s toys that she gave to him. The one most precious to him is the bunny stuffy he got from his first Easter. He loves when it turns from a bunny to a teddy bear and is always excited to snuggle it.

Remembering
Carol Joy Casady Rugg
March 14, 1953 – July 7, 2022
July 18, 2022
Opening:
Valarie and Robert Long
Reed and Kathleen Rugg
Alex Hildebrand (Son)
Adam Hildebrand (Son)
Mason Long (Twin Son)
Matthew Long (Twin Son)
Lucinda and Mike Torgersen
Carol’s Nine Grandchildren
Her 4 Great-Grandchildren
Cliff and Cindy Auwarter
Other Extended family and friends,

Let me tailor my words around “Friendship.”
Hear the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “We force no doors in friendship, but like the Christ in Revelation, we stand reverently at the door without to knock. And only if the door be opened from within, may we welcome in to sup with our friend and they with us. The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when they discover that someone else believes in them and is willing to trust them with their friendship. My friends have come unsought. The great God gave them to me.” That genuinely describes my friendship with Carol Rugg as we collaborated together on two of Wasatch Presbyterian Church’s important mission outreach efforts, Prison Ministry and the Chiang Mai Christian School Scholarship Fund.

Attributes:
First, and unmistakably, I must mention Carol’s voice. Steady, assured, and low in volume. Her greeting when you entered her office was always warm and welcoming with genuine eye contact. Upon meeting Carol, you immediately wanted her for a friend. Let’s recall some of Carol’s many attributes. Imbued with trust, committed, competent, trustworthy, high level of credibility, good listener, readily responsive to requests and questions, affable, approachable, and hospitable.

“Duck tape,” Carol at Work:
Let’s talk a little about work: The core of any successful enterprise, be it business, educational, nonprofit, or in Carol’s case, religious and faith based, is trust. The highest level of trust in all of these organizations resides in the integrity and accuracy of their management and their finances. At Wasatch Presbyterian Church, yes, a business organization in the eyes of the State of Utah, those finances must be impeccable and accurate to the penny. Consider Wasatch Presbyterian Church's complex 9-page “Analysis of Revenues & Expenses” monthly report. Keep in mind, it doesn’t include the confidential records of 300 or more individuals and families who donate their dollars to the church. It’s a complete detailed account of every aspect of Wasatch Presbyterian Church’s hundreds of accounts pertaining to its business, ecclesiastical, and mission efforts. (Over)

Many of these accounts are shared in monthly reports, but others are confidential, and privileged only to Carol, Wasatch Presbyterian Church’s Financial Administrator and Accountant. This is where the privileged and rare distinction of “Duck tape” becomes associated with Carol. Why? Because without her, the entire enterprise would fall apart!

Accomplishments:
Hear the words of Theodore Roosevelt. “It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.” This describes Carol’s marvelous and noteworthy life. Note, “woman” for “man,” and “she and her” for “he” are interchangeable.

Courage:
Hear now a story from the 1970s. It took place in a Christian seminary, but is just as appropriate as we consider Carol’s illness and the humble and loving way, of which I am certain, she endured and managed day to day with her illness. I heard this story at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC in January of 1980. I’ve never forgotten it. Tony Campolo, a contemporary Christian theologian and evangelist told of an event at a prominent eastern seminary: A distinguished elderly scholar of theology had come to the school to address the student body. He was known worldwide and was universally acknowledged as a man of God. He was dying of cancer. At the end of his labored speech, Tony Campolo overheard a young seminarian behind him remark to another, “He didn’t say much did he?” Upon hearing that, Tony turned around and said to the young man, “A person on a cross doesn’t have to say anything.” This was Carol as she dealt day to day with what had to have been pain, discomfort, emotional distress, and concern for her family, particularly Valarie, Reed, and Lucinda and their spouses Robert, Kathleen, and Mike. Yet, she maintained her emotions and outlook to protect them from too much distress, and discouragement. What bravery!

In Conclusion:
Let me conclude with the following description of friendship. Ponder these words from Stephen E. Ambrose’s book entitled “Brothers, Fathers, Heroes, Sons, Pals, COMRADES”: “Friendship is different from all other relationships. Unlike acquaintanceship it is based on Love. Unlike lovers and married couples it is free of jealousy. Unlike children and parents, it knows neither criticism nor resentment. Friendship has no status in law. Business partnerships are based on a contract. So is marriage. Parents are bound by the law, as are children. But friendship is freely entered into, freely given, freely exercised.” Such has been my valued and cherished friendship with Carol Joy Casady Rugg.

Offered with deepest respect and love,

Paul Hewitt