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Obituaries

Ruth Marie (Layden) Carter 94

Ruth Marie (Layden) Carter died peacefully at her home in Glenview, Illinois on October 7, 2021. She was 94 years old. 

 

Her Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, July 9, 2022, in Hoopeston, Illinois at St. Anthony Catholic Church, 423 S. Third St., followed by burial at Floral Hill Cemetery and lunch at the Parish Hall. 

 

Ruth was born on April 3, 1927, in Cheneyville, Illinois, the daughter of Edward and Cornelia (Fitzgerald) Layden. She graduated from Rossville (IL) High School and St. Mary-of-the-Woods College (IN).  

  

Ruth is survived by her six children: Christopher (Eileen) Carter of Villa Park, Illinois; Carol Ann Carter of Lake Forest, IL; Bridget (Thomas) Frank of Glenview, IL; Mary Hardy of Walnut Creek, CA; John Terrence (Meryl Kramer) Carter of Mattituck, NY; and, Thomas Clark (Celeste Widolff) Carter of Rossville, IL; 11 grandchildren, Courtney (Jason Nickerson), Connor (Ally), and Moira Dugan; Tricia (Chan) Park and Kevin (Halie) Frank; Kyle, Claire (Ryan Morrison), and Grant Hardy; Zev and Aidan Carter; and, Doyle Carter; and, seven great-grandchildren, Olivia Frank; Dominic, Raya, and Cade Morrison; Remi Park; and, Sydney and Colton Dugan; and scores of nieces and nephews.  

 

Ruth is predeceased by her parents; four brothers, Edward (Eileen) Layden, Sr., Thomas (Bunny) Layden, Paul (Lucille) Layden, and Richard (Cathy) Layden; and three sisters, Mary Ellen (Joe) McKean, Agnes (Dr. Dave) Davis, and Patricia (Leonard Gordon) Newman.   

 

When her 27-year marriage to the late John C. Carter of Rossville ended, Ruth, a housewife, reinvented herself with the help of her younger sisters, Agnes and Pat. Ruth moved to Arlington, VA where Agnes had formed American Realty Group. She joined this "gang of gals" in blue jeans and sneakers who would become players in the residential real estate market between Courthouse and Ballston on Metro's Orange Line, and on Captiva, FL. She learned the business from the bottom up and specialized in short-term rentals, a niche that routinely introduced her to students, professionals, diplomats, and the occasional scoundrel. Many clients became life-long friends.   

 

After growing up on a Cheneyville farm and raising her family on a Rossville farm, Ruth enjoyed Arlington and Washington, D.C. Having declared herself "done with cooking," she dined out regularly with friends and family, many visiting from out-of-town. She visited the Smithsonian museums and attended films, plays, concerts, and lectures. She rooted for D.C.'s baseball and football teams and held Washington Wizard season tickets. She traveled across North America and to Europe, the Middle East, and Central and East Asia. After seeing polar bears in Churchill, Canada, she was smitten with them the rest of her life. She appreciated informed conversation and politics, good books, flower gardening, and antiques and collectibles, and was fond of her last car, a (used) supercharged Mercedes sedan. She was active in St. Charles Catholic Church in Arlington. 

 

Ruth stayed close to her Midwest family and friends and visited them often. In 2017, after her sisters and brother-in-law had died, Ruth retired from real estate and returned to Illinois for good. 

 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made to a charity of one's own choice. 

 

Please visit www.anderson-funeral-home.com

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