Ewing Carruthers Obituary

From the Commercial Appeal:
Ewing Carruthers, Jr. died on May 8, 2012 at age 95. A lifelong Memphian, he attended Snowden and Fairview schools and graduated from Central High School in 1935. He continued his education at Southwestern at Memphis and graduated in 1939. There, he joined Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity and later served as their president. After graduation in 1939, Ewing began working with MassMutual Life Insurance Co. In 1942 he joined the U.S. Navy and became a naval aviator. He was discharged with the rank of Lieutenant junior grade. At the time of his death, he was a Lieutenant in the Retired Reserve. At MassMutual he became a Charter Life Underwriter (CLU) and first qualified for the Million Dollar Round Table in 1950. Over his long tenure with MassMutual, he was a leader in local, state and national organizations including the National Estate Planning Council, the National Association of Advanced Life Underwriters and the American Society of CLUs. He was a speaker at many national and international conferences. His book, A Way of Life, first printed in 1969 and was revised and reprinted in 1986. Ewing and his wife, Jane, are long time members of Calvary Church, where Ewing served three terms on the vestry in the 1960s, '70s and '80s. He was also a past junior and senior warden of the Episcopal Churchman of Tennessee. He was a longtime member of the Memphis Rotary Club and the Memphis Country Club. His hobbies included tennis, traveling, duck hunting, snow skiing, and flying a series of twin Bonanza airplanes. In 2005, he was awarded the Wright Brothers' Master Pilot Award by the FAA. This award recognizes pilots who have maintained safe flight operations for 50 or more years. He also served on the boards of French Camp Academy and Chamberlain Hunt Academy from 1988-2006. He has been the chairman of the Grand Krewe of Ra-Met and a member of The University Club. In 1951 Ewing met the love of his life, Jane Ogden. They married in April of 1952 at Calvary Episcopal Church and recently celebrated their 60th anniversary. They were blessed with two sons and two daughters, nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren. He is survived by his wife, Jane, and their children; Jan Carruthers Sturdivant of Itta Bena, MS, Ewing (Chip) Carruthers III of Olive Branch, MS, Cage Brewer Carruthers of Collierville and Tracy Carruthers Woods of Madison, MS. Ewing and Jane had nine grandchildren, Micajah Purnell Sturdivant IV of Jackson, MS, Lee Sturdivant Carby of Natchez, MS, Ani Blair Carruthers of Olive Branch, Rachel Henley Carruthers, Ewing (Carl) Carruthers IV, Cage Brewer Carruthers, Jr and Mary Lawrence Bennett Carruthers, all of Memphis, Charles Scott Woods II and Margaret (Maggie) Lyle Woods of Madison, MS and three great -grandchildren. He is also survived by his daughters-in-law, Tracey Blair Carruthers, Louise Cohen Carruthers and sons-in-law, Micajah "Mike" Purnell Sturdivant III, and Charles Scott Woods II. Honorary pallbearers are Mike and Micajah Sturdivant, Carl and Cage Carruthers, Jr and Scott and Charles Woods. A memorial service as a witness to the resurrection will be held in the sanctuary of Calvary Episcopal Church on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 3 p.m. followed by a celebration of Mr. Carruthers' life in The Great Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to French Camp Academy, 1 Fine Place, French Camp, MS 39745, (662)547-6482, Calvary Episcopal Church, 102 N. Second Street, Memphis, TN 38103 (901)525-6602 or the charity of the donor's choice would be lovely. The family would love you to share your memories with us through the Guest Book for Ewing Carruthers, Jr.