William Caruth, 89, of North Haven died June 5, 2017 as he wished…at his home. Born January 13, 1928 in Wilkes-Barre, PA, son of Anna Kovalik Caruth and Earl B. Caruth. He is survived by his brother, Robert Caruth (Mary Alice) of Wallingford; brothers/sister-in-law Robert Hogan and Patricia Caruth of Wallingford, and John Hanson of New Jersey; also by his loving nieces and nephews, including his nephew, Bob Caruth, who for the past two years took such good care of him. He was predeceased by his sisters, Dorothy Hogan and Virginia Hanson; his brother, Donald Caruth; his nephew, Brian Caruth and his niece, Karen Caruth. After graduating from Coughlin High School in Wilkes-Barre, PA he joined the army and was in occupied Japan from 1946 to 1948. Upon his discharge he attended and graduated from Wilkes College. He began his teaching career in Durham. He also taught in North Haven at the Village Street School and North Haven Middle School. In 1957 he began teaching at North Haven High School where he taught until his retirement. While teaching he was still learning. He took many courses at Fairfield University, Trinity, Wesleyan, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and at the Cloisters. He enjoyed season tickets to Long Wharf Theater and the Yale Rep. After retiring he continued as a substitute teacher for another 18 years; worked at the Eli Whitney Museum in Hamden; and taught CCD at St. Frances Cabrini Church. He also lovingly tended the church garden. He took a 4-year course on the Old and New Testament with Sister Jewels in Newington. He was in a local, small Christian group for many years. Also in that group was his good friend, Anna Ferretti, who was always there to help him with whatever he might need. The world is now missing a very kind, intelligent, gentleman who will be sorely missed by all who knew him.
Family and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian burial Saturday morning, June 10th in St. Frances Cabrini Church at 10:00 and are also invited to attend the committal services immediately following in All Saints Cemetery. There will be no visiting hours. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his name to St. Frances Cabrini Church, 57 Pond Hill Road, North Haven, CT 06473. The North Haven Funeral Home, 36 Washington Avenue has been entrusted with the arrangements.
It was a privilege to get to know Bill; he was a humble and knowledgeable man. May he rest in peace among the heavenly gardens. Our condolences to his family.
Mr Caruth was my high school teacher for a class called Dynamics of Change. He was always kind, enthusiastic and encouraging. When he found out of my interest in the arts he had asked me to speak to a class about my artistic experiences. It meant so much to me then as it does now. To the friends& family of Mr. Caruth I am so sorry for your loss.
Bill was in our prayer group for many years. A wonderful gentleman. He always had questions about many subjects and took classes for years. He loved his flowers and antiques. A great storyteller. We will miss him so much but will keep his spirit with us always. He talked about his love of family and God. Goodbye dear friend. Love, Bunny
I was very saddened to learn of your passing mr. Caruth, you are a great teacher a mentor and
to young people. rest in peace mr. caruth
Bill was like a second father to me. He was always ready to patiently listen, give advice, teach us especially about our faith, joke with us and share with us. His gifts were always picked out with the person in mind, very unique. We have been blessed in more ways than we can count by knowing Bill for approximately 20 years. We know he will channel his spirit thru one of us at our prayer groups. You will always be in our hearts, mind and prayers. We will share the many things you thought us! Rest in peace with your family in Heaven. Until we meet again, good bye my dear friend.
Over the last 12 years, he was always my favorite substitute teacher. He always had such kind words. I enjoyed his stories and his perspective on life. As a new young teacher, he was a great role model for me. Such a sweet man! I know the history department at North Haven will be upset at losing one of our favorites. I am sure he is in heaven enjoying the greatest work of art of all! God Bless my friend!
He was a great man to have known. I enjoyed having him as a substitute teacher. He was very kind and considerate and took great pride in everything he taught.
Bill was a true gentle man…I knew him from his days at North Haven High School….May he Rest In Peace…Condolenses to his family…
I am so sorry for your loss.
He was the best teacher; he subbed for a few of my classes over the years in North Haven Middle and High Schools and he knew everything. He lead us in guided meditation once in social studies; he loved art, always had a kind word, could get the most shy of students out of their shells, and could even get kids that hated learning eager to know more.
To this day I still think back of my many fond memories of him in my classes and seeing him around the school. All of my teachers and mentors are compared to him and I have only seen a few that come close to his expertise in the field of education and mentorship.
A true renaissance man who will be sorely missed.
Mr. Bill’s smile, chuckle, and stories that were told under the wisteria walkway will be sorely missed. He was the best neighbor anyone could want. Rest in peace my friend.
Mr. Caruth was a great man, and I remember him as the best sub I had plenty of times while in North Haven. He really cared about education and you were able see his passion for what he did, just filling in for teachers. He’s a special part of the town and I wish his family the best in this difficult time.
He was a great teacher! Prayers and Hugs to a great man!
I’m so sorry to hear this news. I live in California now and graduated from NHHS 11 years ago, and Mr. Caruth and his jolly disposition left such an impression on me. He will be sorely missed. Rest peacefully, Mr. Caruth.
This man was so kind and well tempered. I knew him as a substitute in the North Haven Public School system and he treated kids right. Our condolences to Mr. Caruth’s family.
I never had Mr. Caruth as a teacher, but l want to express my deepest condolences to his family and friends …
It truly saddens me today to read this. I learned so much from Mr. Caruth. He was a very wise, brilliant and patient man! I will never forget the classes he taught at north haven.
If you think back, you first see moments in your life that became turning points. If you look closer, they weren’t moments but people who made the difference. Mr. Caruth was one of those teachers for me. He showed that a man can be both funny and wise. He saw beauty throughout the world, and then added laughter to it. You can blame Mr. Caruth for my love of corny puns, but you can also find the beginnings of a future investigative journalist in his 10th grade humanities class. I’m sorry, Bill, for not seeking you out to tell you how much your classes meant to me.
Thank u Mr Caruth for being a great mentor in school , some of us will never forget the way u went ubove and beyond for us, lives get busy but we never forget the people that got us we’re we are today.
God bless you and your Family
So sorry to hear of your passing to a greater life and condolences to your expansive family and friends hoping that fond memories will bring you some comfort at this time of great sorrow and loss💔
And I personally will never think of Ancient History without of picturing Mr C at the front of the class 😘
I was fortunate to have had a visit with Bill while at Masonicare. We shared many of his teaching experiences. He was one of my favorite colleagues.
So sorry the community has lost a wonderful, steadfast, kind teacher and mentor. I had the pleasure of learning Ancient History from Mr. Caruth in the 9th grade. We veered from the ancient, when the Nixon-Kennedy debates were happening. We had our own debates in class with students making up the debate teams. Some for Nixon and others for Kennedy. It made me personally more cognizant of what our political choices mean to American lives. This tenet has stayed with me all my life. Thank you, Mr. Caruth, for being one of the teachers who really gave more to your students than just good grades. You gave us curious, philosophical minds and steered our moral compasses in the right direction. Be at peace in your final journey to a higher plane, knowing you were a good and appreciated gentle man. Farewell.
Bill,, you were always a pleasure to talk with and a joy to sit beside in church, you will be missed. Sincerely, mary BOLTMAN,
Mr. Caruth was a constant presence around North Haven Middle & High Schools during my time there. I would like his family to know that he is so beloved to the North Haven schools community – I’ve been out of school nearly 12 years and I was alerted to his passing by countless fellow graduates who remember him well. Mr. Caruth was truly something special. I fondly recall and often retell the story of his guided meditation during 7th grade Music Appreciation class. Whatever class he subbed for, he could speak so eloquently on the topic. A running joke was his insistence on getting everyone’s full name when they walked into class for attendance, even though by senior year he had known many of us since we were 11-12 years old. He was stern when he needed to be but when he smiled and laughed, his whole face lit up. We all loved hearing about his days at North Haven schools many years before – and he had taught several of our parents! He will be truly missed and remembered with love.
MY friend, Bill Caruth. I can’t tell how saddened I am at his passing. We were involved in the education of the students in St. Frances Cabrini Church. Here was a man who gave up his Sundays after teaching all week to teach again about the God that he loved so much . He was principal for many years of our 7th and 8th grade program but loved to be in the classroom with his students He was an example of what a man should be like. He was the person who followed the saying , “What Would Jesus Do”. He loved teaching and he loved people. He was always a true gentle man to all those who knew him. He especially loved those in his prayer group and enjoyed their company even after his illness kept him from joining them. They became his dear friends who he got to know and love so much over the years. If ever anyone in this community is missed, it will be Bill Caruth. Rest in Eternal Peace with the God you loved and served so well, Bill. Enjoy the Heaven that is your reward. Say hello to Pat and Irene.
To his family and friends, my sincere condolences. Lovingly, Jo & Tony Cavallaro
Our sincere condolences to the Caruth Family! It was an honor getting to know Bill through our prayer group and also, in recent years, I had the privilege of bringing him Communion! We both had a love of flowers and gardens and I will really miss our talks and walks through his beautiful garden after he received Communion! He will be truly be missed from our prayer group; he always offered so much information and many things to ponder and reflect upon! He was always a true gentleman! I will remember his laughter, kindness, his generosity and love for his flowers, his faith and friends and family! I always learned something new when I visited him! May God bless his family at this difficult and sad time! God now has someone to tend to his heavenly flower garden! He certainly chose the right man for the job! Rest in peace, dear Bill! You will be in our thoughts, prayers and hearts always!!
While I only knew Mr. Caruth during his days as a substitute teacher, I remember him for being a kind, caring, stern and passionate educator. He was truly a special man and shared his light with so many students– our community is stronger in part because of him. How I wish I had someone taking me through guided meditations in adulthood! Wishing your family peace as you celebrate his life.
A kind, learned and gentle soul. He Who is the teacher who is able to open so many of his students minds to the bigger world around us.
I was lucky to have him as a teacher earlier in life and lucky to have met up with him again and consider him my friend later. He will be missed
While hearing this news today has saddened me, it will also renew my passion for trying to inspire my students the way Mr Caruth inspired me in 10 grade humanities class almost 30 years ago. Through his lessons he shared his vast knowledge, but most of all, he made you think, and dream, and wonder. He got a good chuckle out of the fact that one day, he subbed for me, and taught my sixth graders about Egyptian Pharaohs in the very same classroom where I had sat as his student years before. Things had truly come full circle, and we were able to laugh and reminisce many more times as he kept coming back to sub year after year. I always thought of Mr Caruth as a sort of “Mr. Rogers for older kids”, as the ripple effects of his kind and caring spirit will continue to influence future generations through those of us who had the priveledge of knowing and learning from him. May you Rest In Peace, Mr Caruth.
Mr. Caruth, I regret never having returned to tell you this, but you are the reason I am an educator, that I can be a grown up at all and participate in this world. You taught me that it is possible to inspire learning in myself and others, that it can be contagious. You were a bright spot in my day as a freshman, and a shining example of what I aspire to even get close to in my life. You showed trust and care for all. A truly inspired learner and inspirational teacher. This is the passing of a great man.
Mr Caruth is one of those rare people in your life that causes real personal and positive change. Through his learned ways, and love for all things , he taught us there is beauty everywhere. He could shift from Shintoism to music in a heartbeat. He not only understood those topics, but had a profound knowledge of them and could apply his knowledge in corny puns (which I do often now). His volunteerism was legendary. It inspired many of us to do the same. As a teenager at NHHS in the 1980’s, we didn’t much global exposure. Mr Caruth provided travels around the world while sitting in his classroom. So, I graduated in 1985, went to college, returned to north haven and had two daughters. Low and behold he was a volunteer at the Eli Whitney museum. I had the chance to see him as my daughters grew up. Then, as the girls were at NHHS, he was their substitute teacher. On top of that , my two toddler sons saw him at Eli Whitney as he again volunteered on weekends. We were fortunate to have him in our lives. He made the world a better place, and us better people. Someday when my sons are old enough to understand, I’ll tell them about one of the greatest people I ever knew. Mr Caruth: We will miss you dearly.
We are so sorry to hear of Bills passing. He always had a smile on his face and loved coming into our store. We loved visiting with Bill, he had a story for everything he owned as well as having great passion for them. He will be greatly missed, Rest In Peace our friend.
Frank, Mike, Debbie and little Mike
I had the privilege of enjoying mr caruth as my ccd teacher during at st Francis Cabrini. He was a kind soul who had a lot of patience as we were a tough class back then in the 70’s. I hope the family finds comfort in all the messages of love and compassion. Another one of our teachers from nhhs who will be sadly missed.