Thursday, September 4, 2008

Wally's Obituary

Walter John Carruthers III was born in Seattle on January 31, 1956 to Walter and Betty (Dolores) Carruthers. He graduated from Bothell High School and went on to study electronics at DeVry University in Phoenix, AZ. He was raised on Cottage Lake in Woodinville where he lived until his death. He leaves behind his much beloved wife, Sheri, of 20 years who will miss him tremendously and his incredible children, John (Amy), Reed, Rebecca, Taylor, and Matthew, who made him proud to be their father. Wally started his own business, Pro-Tech Services, Inc. in 1987 which became the premier medical device company specializing in sleep disorders. Wally always said, “If you love your job, you never have to work.” In that case, Wally never worked. He loved his job but more importantly, he loved the people who worked for him and with him. He also leaves behind his mother, Dolores, and siblings Randy (Eileen), Bambi Rehder (Rick), Kim Morrow (Dave) and nephew Joshua, along with many other nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Walter and siblings, Leonard, Wendy and Laura Leigh. Wally will best be remembered by his warmth, his smile, the sparkle in his eye, his wink, his hugs and his incredible generosity but most importantly, his faith in his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Pancreatic cancer took him from us early in this life but he is living eternally with his Savior in Heaven. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 on Saturday, September 13, 2008. The service will be at Northshore Baptist Church located at 10301 NE 145th Street, Bothell. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to either Exile Facilities Fund, Exile Presbyterian Church, PMB #132, 14241 NE Woodinville-Duvall Road, Woodinville, WA 98072 or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2141 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 7000, El Segundo, CA 90245.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wally, I don't know if WiFi reaches Heaven yet or not, anyway if not I'm sure you'll have it up and running soon. Miss you, loved you too...'til we meet again. Larry G

Anonymous said...

What an extraordinary spirit you are, Waddie!
It ranks among my greatest hopes that I'll see you again, my Friend.
What a legacy you and Sheri have purposely built in this life!
What a pleasure and an honor it's been to walk in your shadow.
Thanks for stranding me in Boston just for laughs. Thanks for all the clever stunts you're known for far and wide.
And yes, thanks for the Wally winks!
I love you, brother!
Phil Crisler

Unknown said...

I must share the words to this song by Mercy Me. I have been listening and singing it for days.

You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times
And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you
But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry
Is how long must I wait to be with you

I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

Help me Lord cause I don't understand your ways
The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know
But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same
Cause I'm still here so far away from home

I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

In Christ, there are no goodbyes
And in Christ, there is no end
So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have
To see you again
To see you again

And I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now

I long for my home in heaven to see my loved ones who have gone before.
Letha

AlRoehl said...

Sheri & Family,
Our many thoughts and prayers are with all of you. May God be with you and give you the strength to carry on, until that day will come when you all can be together again.
All Our Love, Al & Vicky

Unknown said...

Sheri and Family,
We were so sorry to hear that Wally's courageous battle with cancer has ended. Wally's death is a sad loss for you and for many others who knew him through work at Pro-Tech and SleepEx. We too will sorely miss him, both from a personal and from a leadership standpoint. Wally made many good friends here on East Coast, and we all send you our heartfelt sympathy. We can only hope that your years of happiness and your many good memories will enable you to live with this sad loss.
Sincerely,
Vladimir and Tatiana Ivanov.

Anonymous said...

Sheri & Family

My heartfelt condolances to you guys. I knew Wally back in 1988 when I was in Eugene and we were testing equipment for his new company. Over the years we talked at the annual sleep meetings.

I remember the Seattle meeting when he had the tours of the new factory. Wally was so proud of the company and the people there.

Wally was such a classy guy, always with a smile and never anything bad to say about anyone.

He will be missed!

Bret S.

Anonymous said...

Sheri and family,
I've been hesitating to write anything because I just don't know what to say. I guess I'm kind of in shock because last I heard thru the grapevine, Wally was doing so well. I am sad when I think of his passing, but having cancer in my family, it is great to know that Wally is with the Lord and is now truly free. When I think of him though, I smile because I can reflect on so many nice things he did and said. The funny times too and his giggle when he would come up with a good one.
I was thinking back to when I first met Wally. I came to Pro-Tech for my 2nd interview when the office was in Woodinville. I had to go into a room with a few people, but I was so nervous, all I remember is Pat, Sandy and Wally being there; Wally being seated at the end of the large conference table. I remember thinking, oh my gosh, they brought in the big guns. Now I was REALLY nervous. I made a comment about having to go thru the gauntlet...likening it to some TV show. But in true Wally fashion, he broke the ice by saying, "No, it is more like SURVIVOR!" (I thought for sure I was going to be "voted off the island"...ha ha.) Oh, and how about the time we had to vote for someone...I can't remember what it was for. Maybe the winner of the annual chili cookoff? We were downstairs in the lunch room. Jim was pulling names out of a bag and counting the votes outloud when he paused for a moment and then read someone's vote for..."George Bush". Jim's expression was priceless. There was silence and then Wally just started cracking up. He always had to put in a vote for his man anytime he could.
Wally just had a way about him. Friendly, witty, funny, never intimidating, and always with a kind word to say. He was always concerned about us and said the company wouldn't do well if his employees weren't happy. Not alot of employers have that outlook. It was such a pleasure working for him. I can honestly say, from my heart, that out of all the companies I have worked for in my life, working for Wally was the absolute best. He made an impact on everyone that came into contact with him, including me.
With sincere sympathy,
Karla Baker

Anonymous said...

The memorial service was very nice, good to see some old faces. Wally you're an inspiration, truly one of the good guys.
You will be missed.

Chuck Weinberg said...

The Wallys,
The memorial service was a perfect tribute to a great man, and to his Savior.
Great job in helping us remember the good times with such a sweet friend. Thank you for sharing your husband and dad with all the rest of us. You made his life richer and in doing so Wally was able to make the rest of our lives richer.
You already know how special Wally is to you, and I hope yesterday was a day you all will remember, in the smallest of ways, how special Wally is to us.
Please let us know if we can do anything for you in the coming days. Sheri, I think Wally would like me to come and pressure wash the patio, so when you're ready, please LMK:)
There is nothing we can say to take away the pain of the moment, but our family received this quote when we were going through Grant's event and it is so true and does take a little of the sting out.
"Had any other situation been better for YOU, than the one you are in, Divine Love would have put you there"
God gets glory as we joyously live in the plan He has for us everyday, and Wally exemplified that, even in his phone call to Jason right at the start.
May we all enjoy the process God has for us like Wally did.
Thank you again for sharing your lives with us.

Unknown said...

Our sincerest condolences to all the Carruther's Family, including everyone at Pro-Tech.

We made a contribution to the PCAN in Wally's memory.

Dawn Lauryn, c/o everyone at Neurotronics, Inc., Gainesville, FL