Ruth Carswell

RUTH HOLLAND CARSWELL Born 12 July 1932 in Fox, Arkansas to Barney Holland and Harriet Sallie Bishop Holland, she grew up in Heber Springs, her home town. She was the eighth of nine children. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Avonia Nell Dugger, her brothers Chester Lee Holland, Hubert Ray Holland, and sisters Iris Clark and Barnettie Wright. She is survived by her sister Mary Ellen Ahola, brothers Thomas Hathaway Holland and Robert Neal Holland, her beloved husband of 54 years, Sidney Graves Carswell, and her children S. David Carswell, Carla Carswell Beard (and husband Robert Beard), Marcia Carswell, and Kevin Andrew Carswell (and wife Nair Carswell) along with her grandchildren, Sean Kilpatrick da Silva Carswell, Ricardo da Silva Carswell, Hannah Elaine Beard, Abigail Elaine Beard, Alice Yvette da Silva Carswell, Nina Elizabeth Carswell, Rebecca Elaine Beard, Anna Louise Carswell, Sarah Elaine Carswell, and her great grand-daughter, Lorelai Cecilia Carswell.
She served with her husband in Brazil for nearly 18 years as a missionary for the International Missions Board before returning to Arkansas where she continued to serve along side her husband in various ministries including pastoring a church and chaplaincy. Her legacy is vast but includes the hundreds of women that she has witnessed to and mentored on two continents who have gone on to ministries of their own, thousands of children impacted by Vacation Bible Schools all over our area of the Amazon, countless meals prepared and served to friendly faces and strangers in need, as well as being a loving wife, partner, and life companion to her husband, mother, teacher, role model and friend to her children, and doting grandmother to her grandchildren and great grand-daughter.
Her spiritual wisdom, love for family, and delightful sense of humor are only a few of the qualities that will be missed. Her family is grateful for her writing talent that has enabled her to not only write curriculum for the Sunday School Department of the Southern Baptist Convention but has also led her to capture her "Adventures Into the Unknown" and to journal significant periods of her life that she is willing to share, not to mention her collection of recipes that has gone through several revisions and multiple private printings and have been treasured by family, friends, and cooking fans.
There will be a Celebration of Ruth's Life at the Summit Church at 6600 Crystal Hill Road, North Little Rock, AR 72118 on Friday, August 20, 2010 at 7:00 PM.
No flowers, please. Memorial gifts may be made to the Summit Church Mission Ministries, the ministry most dear to her heart.
Under the direction of Huson Funeral Home in Little Rock. Sign an online guest book at www.husonfuneralhome.com