Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

January 8, 2024

CHARLOTTE – Martha Carolyn Magruder Ruppenthal, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend to many, died January 8, 2024, at Southminster Retirement Community.

Carolyn was born on October 7, 1936, in Augusta, GA to Richard and Mary Fiske Magruder. She called her childhood “idyllic”, with her aunt and cousins living next door, and both sets of grandparents living nearby, one on the old family farm, the other in town. “I thought of them as the country and the city” Carolyn said. Her mother was once a social worker and her father was an executive at Fine Products Candy Company who loved taking his children, and later his grandchildren, on tours of the factory. Carolyn graduated from the Academy of Richmond County which she proudly pointed out was a public high school despite the name. She then attended and graduated from her beloved Agnes Scott College. After graduating, she was encouraged by a professor to apply for the newly established Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Although it was unusual at the time for a Southern woman to attend a school in the North, she thrived and earned a master’s degree in American History. Carolyn put her degree to use by teaching at the Abington Friends School outside of Philadelphia. It was while she was teaching there that she met her future husband, Carl Robert (Bob) Ruppenthal on a blind date. Bob was then a senior in the Penn Med School.  

After a whirlwind romance, Bob and Carolyn were married in Augusta, GA on July 7, 1961. Shortly after the wedding, Bob was drafted into the Navy as a medical commander stationed on a ship in the Pacific. Carolyn joined Bob to live in Japan while he was in service, an uncommon military arrangement at the time. After Japan, the two moved to San Diego where their first son, John, was born at the Naval Medical Hospital. Upon his discharge, Bob did his residency in Cleveland, OH, where sons Steven and Jeffrey were both born. Carolyn often told stories of her Augusta-born mother coming to help with the newborns while snowdrifts of over five feet surrounded the house.

After his residency, Bob accepted a position at the Nalle Clinic in Charlotte, NC, where Bob and Carolyn lived for the rest of their lives. Carolyn raised her three boys in a neighborhood where she made friends that remained next to her side until the end. She was an active volunteer at the Charlotte Nature Museum and the League of Women Voters. She was particularly active at Myers Park Baptist Church, where she taught Sunday School, played handbells, and served as a deacon and on various committees.

Once the boys were old enough to fend for themselves, Carolyn decided to pursue a career as a paralegal, working for the law office of Tom Ray and then Landon Dunn. Carolyn loved her work in the field of law and was told many times over the years that she would make a great lawyer. Her boys, who sometimes grew exasperated trying to argue with her about one silly thing or the other, would tend to agree.

Carolyn was a prodigious reader and a member of multiple book clubs throughout her life. She loved puzzles and games and had recently started playing Mahjong with friends at Southminster. Carolyn collected lifelong friends wherever she went, from kindergarten to Agnes Scott, her Charlotte neighborhood to Myers Park Baptist Church, the Nalle Clinic and most recently Southminster. Friends always loved her sense of humor and willingness to do anything to help someone in need. She was an amazing conversationalist – her husband once said, lovingly, that she could talk to a rock - and took a personal interest in her friend’s lives and families. She could always be counted on to “do the right thing” for everyone in her life.

Carolyn’s greatest joy was spending time with her grandchildren, who called her “Omi”. The entire family would gather every year at their beloved house at Wrightsville Beach, NC. Christmas at Omi’s house was an event everyone looked forward to throughout the year. She was an excellent cook and loved decorating the house for every holiday. Family gatherings were filled with laughter and lively discussions.

Recently, Carolyn reflected on her life, recalling the words of Saint Teresa: “All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”

Carolyn was predeceased in death by her husband of 56 years, Carl Robert Ruppenthal and her son, Steven Fiske Ruppenthal. Carolyn is survived by her sons John Ruppenthal of Charlottesville, VA, and Jeffrey Ruppenthal (Rachel Stewart) of Davidson, NC; by grandchildren, Madison and Ethan, Ian, and Sam; brother, Richard Magruder of Augusta, GA, nephews Andrew Magruder, Kevin Ruppenthal, James Ruppenthal, Scott Derr and nieces Emily Magruder Barrett, Karen Derr Myers and Melissa Ruppenthal Kozik.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, January 20, 2024, at Southminster Retirement Community in Great Room B. There will be a reception immediately following.

The family expresses deepest appreciation to her amazing group of friends who offered so much love and support throughout her illness and to her Embrace Healthcare nurse, Jackie Black, home care aide Linda Harris, and hospice nurse, Kya Lee-Herron.

Memorials may be sent to Myers Park Baptist Church (https://myersparkbaptist.org/give/) designated for The Sunshine Fund, Loaves and Fishes (https://loavesandfishes.org), or to one’s charity of choice.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28204 (704) 641-7606. Online condolences can be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.