Posted for Sheri...
Dearest Friends and Family,
Thank you once again for all of your encouragement and prayers. I brought Wally home on Wednesday afternoon from the hospital. It was a MUCH longer stay than anticipated - 9 days to be exact. We really thought that Wally would just need his stent replaced and be in the hospital for 2 or 3 days then back home doing the things Wally does. Unfortunately, his stomach wasn't cooperating. It's hard to sustain life when your stomach won't absorb any nutrients and IV feedings could make things worse for cancer patients. Therefore, he made the decision to stop his chemo treatments and come home to be comfortable and surrounded by his family who so deeply loves him during his remaining days. We have been so blessed as a family as we look back at the tremendous life God has allowed us to live together. Wally is very much at peace knowing that God is in control of all things and he is looking forward to seeing His Lord and Savior. This is a difficult time - long good-byes are so hard and yet we are also thankful that we have the opportunity to say good-bye.
We were comforted by the Scripture from II Corinthians 4:16-18 which some friends shared with us. "Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Wally desires that we all know that peace which he has. He is not suffering in pain but is awaiting the final day the Lord brings him home to eternity.
He so deeply loves his family and his many friends. Please remember the sparkle in his eyes, the winks and hugs but mostly his faith in God who made him who he was.
Sheri
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
25 comments:
Wally, we are really very affected by your suffering and we hope that your coming home will bring you comfort. The words are useless and it is quite hard to find the appropriate words to express our thoughts. Wally, we just want you to know that we think we were extremely blessed to have known you and your family, and that we truthfully admire your attitude, now and always. As stated before, words are not enough in this moment, but we hope from the bottom of our hearts that you will find serenity and joy among your family.
Sincerely,
Mariana&Ovidiu Ludosan
Wally and Sheri.
We love you and your family. We are very blessed to be able to call you friend.
The Glas Family
Wattie you will always be my beloved wattie.Yor are in mybthoughts and the rest if the family are thinking about you and send their love.Aunty Joy
Dear Wally and Sheri,
We are praing for you both that the Lord will give you comfort and strength. Because of what you are going through, I have decided to leave behind, for my family, a legacy which is my statement of faith. This would be wonderful for Wally to think about especially when his faith is so strong and he knows he is going to see his Lord and Savior soon.
Then we will be able to sing of the wonderful grace of our loving Lord; a grace that is greater than all our sins.
Love in Christ, Don and Shirley
Have you met my friend Wally?
He would say he isn't tall,
but he stands taller than me.
It's not height, but things that last,
Things of which are plain to see:
His positive attitude
Encourage all who take note,
He's always optimistic
Even when others lose hope.
As husband and a father
I have rarely seen better.
For him, generosity
A favorite endeavor,
Blesses friends and family
In ways that last forever,
My dear friend and a brother
Who also loves our Saviour,
Striving for humility
A hero he'll always be,
These things make him stand higher
That's my special friend Wally.
-- Ed Morin
Wally, you are loved and admired all over the country, but especially here by your friends in Florida. I feel so blessed to have known you and to see that smile and sparkle in your eyes. I sent you Flowers because you are a flower that has shone bright in my life. I will miss you dear friend, but will always remember you.
Much love,
Marietta Bibbs (and Willie)
Wally and Sheri:
We were comforted by these verses from Psalm 73 when my Mom was so sick:
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
We love you from the bottom of our hearts.....
Paul and Lynn
Dear Wally ,Sheri @ Family Words are not enought to express how we feel at this time. Just wanted you to know we are thinking of you and praying for you daily.We know your strong faith and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ and love of family will get you through this.Wally and Sheri you have been such an inspiration to all or us.Your faithfulness has never waivered and our Lord has enstored for you His Greatest Reward.We thank-you for your generious spirit we have been privileged to call you friend.I will always remember your big smile as you bounced across the parking lot at Pro-Tech and all your hugs @ kisses.We will cherished those moments always. We love you and wish you peace.The Spotsvill's Erskine,Sarah'Nicole @ Donyell.
My dear friend,
I have been blessed to have counted you as my friend as well as a mentor. My prayers and thoughts are with you and your family. You are well loved.
Joanne Hebding
Dear Wally,
Thank you for your beautiful testimony. May God continue to hold you up and fill you with peace. I pray also that you will remain pain free. What I recall most of all about you, Wally, is your humor and kindness, not to mention of course your beautiful singing voice! I know that you will say these are gifts of God's grace, and so I want you to know that we thank God for you. Continuing to pray for you and Sheri and your family. Love in our sweet Lord Jesus, Janet for the Pohls
Wally, we see you looking to Jesus and hearing Him say, "Well done good and faithful servant... enter into the joy of your lord".
We have treasured every day of our friendship with you on this earth.
Far greater days than these await us, as we together with you cast our crowns at Jesus feet. The tears stream down on Sheri's behalf. Lord bind up the broken hearted. Preserve the children and strengthen their faith.
Come quickly Lord Jesus.
Susie
Wally-
The Lord blessed me through you. I will never, ever forget you- your kindness, your laughter, your smile, your love. You are like a brother to me. Jenessa and I are deeply saddened and we continue to pray for courage, strength, peace and comfort not only for you and your family but for us as well.
We love you, Wally!
Anthony and Jenessa
Come and sit here by my side
For our time will soon be gone
And these tears I cannot hide
For it's your turn to move on
I know you were never really mine
You were given to us
On borrowed time
Now we shall stay here on our own
For I know you've been
Called home
Now I know we must be strong
For what else can we do
Won't be easy to go on
For we must learn to live
Without you
I know that life cannot be bought
And there's nothing I should fear
For you'll go no further than God
And God is always near
Now it's time to let go
It's just part of the plan
So many answers we don't know
But some day we'll understand
Someday
GOOD BUDDY Thanks for the invite into your life meeting you has made me a better person because of it.Words are useless or seem inappropriate at this time.Still the wink of your eye the still firm handshake means more than I can say. I will love you always and will surely see you again. SCOTTO
Wally thanks for the invite into your life our friendship has made me become a better person because of it.Thanks, so hard to say in person.I love you. We will meet again i'm sure of it. Sincerely Scotto(Best Buddy)
Mr. Carruthers, I just want to let you know that I am praying for you, that God will bring you and your family peace during this time. We will all miss you so much, and I only wish my family and I could have gotten to know you more. Thank you for being such a wonderful example of a true Christian!
In Christ,
Michelle Nance
Wally and Family,
I think the entire sleep profession was shocked when we first heard of Wally's illness. People like you Wally just seem invincible. You have made such a contribution to our industry and I know that gives you a great sense of accomplishment. But after reading some of the posts in these blogs, more importantly, if seems your greater contribution has been the impact you have made personally on so many lives. Like someone expressed, the long goodbye is tough, but I hope you feel the constant wave of love strongly surrounding you and your family.
I've only met you casually during APSS meetings, but wanted to thank you for your contribution to our profession and tell you Thank you for your vision and your innovations. Those visions and innovations have set the standard for sensors in our industry. God Bless and hold you and your family. Mark and I will keep you in our prayers.
Susan Keller Yenney
Mark Yenney
Dear Wally, Bill and I will always cherish the memories of the time we spent together. You have left such a beautiful legacy of what it is to be a devoted husband,father and friend. We will always remember how you were there for us when we needed you .. and by reading your blogs you were there for so many more.
With much love...and admiration
Bill and Debbie
Wally:
One of my most favorite people! always positive, ready to complement and give praise to others and your willingness to support and help. We spoke at the SLEEP meeting, I was so glad to see you! You always make my day! For more than 20 years you have been a part of my life, remember those days at Stanford with your recorder:). I have been so blessed to know you and to have been a part of your life.
I know you are getting your "ducks in a row". I just wanted you to know , I will miss you more then you know.
Thanks for being my friend.
love Robyn
Dear Wally,
Know that you are in the hearts and minds of all of us who know,
love and adimire you. Know that it is impossible to measure the impact you have had on our lives and on our work. Know that we share some comfort in knowing that you are just on an earlier train than the rest of us.
Send us a SIGNAL when you get there !!!!!!!!! xoxox, Sharon Sheri, Thank you for allowing us to be so close during this auspicious time. May God bless you and hold you and the family, through these challenging transitions. Sincerely, Sharon Keenan
Wally, I know my family has already written to you but I have had a hard time finding words to say what I feel. I really don’t know what to say even now but I want to say something. Everyone has already said all the good stuff. I will keep it short and simple. I will remember you most of all as an all-time Christian Dad. I don’t know anyone like you Wally. I will remember all the fun times we had, like when you would take us all tubing. You made us fly. Sometimes we knocked heads and once in a while I even lost my shorts. Its hard right now – I am just sad. I am really glad you decided to go on the cruise because it was our last vacation together. I will always remember you Wally. kyle
From: Leslie Bowers
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 3:35 PM
To: Sheri Carruthers
Cc: rbowers@usc.edu; Leslie Bowers
Subject: Note for Wally From the Bowers/Ryan
Importance: High
"God gave us memories so we could have roses in December" James Barrie
Dearest Wally:
We are so very thankful for all the wonderful memories our families have shared over the years and will especially cherish our time together on the cruise.
Do you remember our first house boating trip? Ryan decided you were a "Phat Christian". Of course this was a huge compliment coming from a 14 year old boy. Needless to say you have made a lifelong impression on both our boys. As the saying goes, "It takes a community to raise a child" (an old African proverb). We are so thankful you were part of our community.
I know the house boating trips in particular where very important to our family. Ryan actually wrote about his best childhood memories in his USC application. He wrote specifically about our house boating vacations. You started that!
I know Sheri and your children are so very proud of you and they will take comfort in knowing that the life you led impacted so many people.
Everyone loves you Wally…after all you are phat;)
Peace out from the Bowers Family – Ryan’s personal note below
From: Ryan Bowers [mailto:rbowers@usc.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 2:59 PM
To: Leslie Bowers
Subject: Re: Wally note
Wally,
Throughout my journey in life, I try and let my actions inspire others, let my words shine light of encouragement to the world surrounding me, and let my emotions build everlasting relationships with the people i meet. Though at times it may be difficult to consistently live by this standard, i do my best because of my faith and the people who inspire me. There are no words good enough to express how much your LIFE has inspired me. Your valiant work ethic, tender heart, love for your family, dynamic personality, and strength in faith has been something i deeply admire and wish to obtain at some point in my life. John Quincy Adams once said "if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." In my heart and in the hearts of many, you are our courageous leader and i am truly blessed and deeply honored that i got the privilege of meeting such wonderful human being. Your smile has permanently changed the face of this world and it will never go unnoticed. My prayers are with you, my deepest sympathies go out to your family, and my life has been forever changed by your enormous heart. I WILL MISS YOU WALLY, I WILL MISS YOU!!!! rb
Our love goes out to you Wally and Sheri and to your family.
The "Peace that Passes All Understanding"...Wally, Sheri, Thank You for sharing your hearts and love to us...God's Love pours out from both of you.
Sincerely,
Cathy & John
(Tim's sister and brother-in-law)
Thank you for:
Taking me to my first monster truck show (for John's birthday).
My first motor bike ride (I now have my own).
My first job (pulling lily pads out of the water).
Thank you most especially for always looking forward to the glory that's to come. Walking closely with our Lord. Guiding with love, patience and spunk.
You are deeply loved and not soon forgotten.
In His grace and time,
Tim Vanderhoff
Wally, the Lord is eagerly awaiting the face to face meeting He will have with you soon. You are His good and faithful servant and child---a blessing to all who know you. The glories you will behold will make you wish this homecoming had come even sooner. I pray that this reality will make it a bit easier for your loving wife and family to let you go. In His love, Sherry Grout
Wally and Sheri, Thanks for upholding me with the strength and courage of the Lord when I needed it. May Christ be your strength and courage especially now: "The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy. He will be quite in His love. He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy" (Zeph. 3:17). Much love, Ling
Post a Comment