Edwina "Winnie" Whitman Carruth

Edwina “Winnie” Whitman Carruth passed away on Friday, January 3, 2025, at the age of 82, six months after the death of her husband of 57 years, Dr. Philip Lindsay Carruth. She was born in Fort Smith, AR on April 20, 1942, to parents Edward Justus Whitman and Lessie Norris Whitman. Winnie is survived by her children, Julia Kathryn Carruth Hosea (Andrew) and Laura Ann Carruth Pickett (Alex); and her grandchildren, Abigail Grace Hosea, Samuel Matthew Hosea, and Benjamin Carruth Pickett. She is also survived by her nephew David Gammill and nieces Marianne Gammill Kelley, Susan Carruth-Ryan (who helped tremendously with Winnie after her Alzheimer's diagnosis), Jean Simpson Blanche, Mary Clare Carruth, and Roberta Carruth-Taylor; nephew Gurucharan Khalsa; and many great nieces and great nephews, cousins, and wonderful friends. She is preceded in death by her loving husband, Philip Lindsay Carruth, DDS, her parents, and her sister, Anna Kathryn Whitman Gammill. Winnie grew up in Hope, Arkansas, attending school there, and was a proud Hope High School Bobcat, where she excelled in academics and was the majorette. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA, where she was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and the Wesley Foundation with a degree in Speech and English, and then moved to Fayetteville, AR where she received her Master's in Speech and Drama from the University of Arkansas. After graduating from Arkansas, she took a job teaching English at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, LA. It was in Hammond that she met her future husband, Philip Lindsay Carruth. After their marriage on June 4, 1967, they moved to Memphis for Phil to attend UT Dental School. While in Memphis, she taught Speech and Drama at Christian Brothers College (now Christian Brothers University) where in addition to teaching, she was also the first Dean of Women and was the first director of programming for WCBC.FM 91.1 (now WKNO), a city-wide radio station for training students in announcing and engineering. Upon Philip’s graduation from UT Dental, they moved to New Orleans for his first rotation with the VA Hospital system. They then lived in Alexandria, LA, San Diego CA, and Nashville, TN before returning to the New Orleans area in 1976. They lived in Metairie until 1983, where they joined John Calvin Presbyterian Church and met many lifelong friends. They built their forever home in Covington, LA and moved there in 1983. After a few years leading Girl Scout troops and teaching night classes for SLU, Winnie began teaching at Covington High School where she taught Gifted and AP English. Because the classes were small and she would have the same students for 3-4 years, Winnie was able to form a special bond with her students, and she stayed in touch with many of them. She also led the Knowledge Bowl team and helped with the theatre. Winnie loved to entertain, and made sure her Riverwood home would be good for hosting many extended family meals and celebrations. After retiring from teaching, Winnie stayed busy as a member of PEO, her finance club, many church groups, bridge clubs, and too many book clubs to count. She held leadership positions in most of these. The family would like to extend their most sincere thanks for the compassionate care given to Winnie during the last years of her life by The Ciel in Collierville, TN and Longleaf at Christwood in Covington, LA. The family especially wishes to thank Amy Byers for her steadfast, loving care of Winnie. The family requests contributions be made to the Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org or St. Timothy on the Northshore https://www.sttimothyns.org/give. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the memorial service at St. Timothy on the Northshore, 335 Asbury Dr., Mandeville, LA 70448 on Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 1:00 PM with a gathering at church beginning at 12:00 noon. E.J. Fielding Funeral Home has been entrusted with funeral arrangements. The Carruth family invites you to share thoughts, fondest memories, and condolences online at E. J. Fielding Funeral Home Guest Book at www.ejfieldingfh.com.

Edwina "Winnie" Whitman Carruth

April 20, 1942 - January 3, 2025