Carol Rutgers

Carol Fay Rutgers MD, 92, passed away peacefully at her residence in Cheyenne, WY on March 9, 2023 surrounded by her three children, after a short battle with cancer. Carol was the first of three children born to William and Johanna Rutgers on December 22, 1930 in Grundy Center, Iowa.

As the daughter of a minister of the Christian Reformed Church, Carol moved with her parents to Cicero, IL where her sister Marilyn and brother Bill were born. During World War II, Carol remembered living in the parsonage, a large house adjacent to the church with a grand ante room and spiral staircase. Her street was lined with families of young soldiers, many of the houses with blue, silver or gold stars in the windows. The family next moved to Grand Rapids, MI, where she attended Grand Rapids Christian High School. Carol was named “All American Girl” in her yearbook, was active in many school clubs and named Salutatorian of her senior year in 1948. Carol enjoyed spending summers on the shores of Lake Michigan in Holland, MI with family and friends. Carol attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids graduating in 1952.

Carol became a registered medical technologist after college, but also had ambitions of attending medical school. One morning her father drove her to the University of Chicago where she filled out an application and drove back home. The next morning, she was asked to return for an interview and was later accepted into the medical school. Graduating in 1959, Carol started an internship at the University of Chicago Hospital in 1959. In 1960, Carol moved to New York to begin a residency at Columbia University, specializing in pathology. There she met John Grant Gorman, an Australian resident with a similar affinity for New York City. They attended hematology conferences together and began a romance which resulted in their marriage in 1965. John and Carol’s honeymoon to Australia included a research trip to New Guinea to study blood types and malaria, where she took blood samples and managed test data. Carol continued to support her husband’s research on Rh Disease of the newborn. Carol had two family successes in 1968, the birth of her first daughter Elizabeth and the approval of RhoGAM, the lifesaving medical breakthrough her husband John had pioneered. With young Elizabeth, children became the next priority; in 1969 she gave birth to John, and in 1970 she gave birth to Alexandra. The young family moved to the 39th floor of an apartment building in midtown Manhattan.

After early child rearing, Carol pursued a residency in ophthalmology at the French and Polyclinic Med School and Health Center. In 1976, Carol separated from her husband but continued to enjoy living in New York City with her children and made many friends. She moved to an apartment which she loved on East 63rd street, where she lived for the next 44 years becoming a well-known and well-loved member of her local community. Carol was a talented artist in pencil and watercolor and enjoyed taking her children to art museums in New York City, and on many day trips around the city. As a keen reader, Carol made lifelong friends through her book club. Carol was also an avid traveler and enjoyed taking trips with her children as they grew, meeting them in places around the globe to explore together. She especially enjoyed traveling with her children to her childhood holiday spot, on Lake Michigan with her sister and brother and their families. Carol always enjoyed staying in touch with all her nieces and nephews: Cathie, Joel, Jerome, Christina, Sunny, Bill, and Nick. Carol always made a strong impression on the people she met and had the talent of being able to engage virtually anyone in conversation using her charm, intellect, and sharp sense of humor. Her final adventure was a move to Cheyenne, WY at the age of 91 to live closer to her daughter Alexandra, son in law Todd, and two grandchildren Eliza and Susanna in December 2022. She enjoyed living at Primrose Assisted Living and appreciated the kind staff there and will be missed by all. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Carol’s behalf to winetowater, an international organization committed to improving access to clean water: https://www.winetowater.org . A memorial service will be held on August 5th, 2023 at Messiah Christian Reformed Church in Hudsonville, MI.