Gertrude Kathryn (Babe) Rutledge, 86, died peacefully in her sleep and passed from the hands of her daughters into the hands of God on November 16, 2019 at Shannon Medical Hospital in San Angelo, Texas. Born August 8, 1933, in Ottawa, Ohio, to Thomas Omar Cavanaugh and Helen Regina Baumier Cavanaugh, she is predeceased by her parents, 2 sisters, a brother, her beloved son, James Thomas (Jimmy) Rutledge and her late husband and loving Dad of her 4 Children, Robert Ray (Bob) Rutledge.
On September 22, 1952, at the young age of 19, Babe married Bob Rutledge, her soul mate and love of her life. Together for 25+ years, they raised their 4 children with steadfast love and devotion. Throughout travels abroad to Holland, back to the USA, to Norway and back to the USA, wherever Bob's career took him, Babe was always up to the task as she would gather up her children and manage to herd them through airports and finally on to the planes. Traveling alone with 4 children was anything but easy since what one child didn't think of to pull, another one did, yet she always managed it like only a Mother could. Living abroad, Babe managed the language barriers and mastered driving on ice, stuffing a family of 6 with ski gear and a family lunch into a compact car, cross country snow-skiing, ice skating, getting everyone off very early to school (which entailed a bus-train-bus ride), and even learned how to herd ducks out of the house and get duck droppings off the rugs, furniture and floors after her beloved Jimmy shut the door to the house and scared the "droppings" out of them. (To be fair, all 4 children led the ducks inside; Jimmy just wanted to keep them.) Stateside, Babe, while employed as a telephone operator for GTE, was the "homeroom" mom that baked goods for sales, sat in the stands come rain or shine for sports, livestock shows, motorcycle racing, cowboy polo, cheerleading, Tex-Ann's, parades, riding club play days; if her children were involved, she was there. The memories and experiences Babe (with and without Bob) afforded her children are infinite. She was a mother with a heart of gold that did the best she could do to take care of her children which she proved to the very last of her days. Babe's last stay in the hospital literally saved her oldest daughter's life. Had her daughters not been at the hospital with her, Kathy would not have survived as she suffered a ruptured abdominal aneurysm while standing next to Babe's hospital bed. God and Babe were working together. She was a “Mother” to the end and held on till Kathy was out of danger.
Survivors include her three children, Kathy White and husband, Dana; JoAnn Wilkinson and husband, Mark; Raymond Rutledge and wife, Donna. 7 Grandchildren; Robert Kuhns, Kimberly Lopez and husband, Jeremy, Blaine Wilkinson, Chad Rutledge and wife, Kristen, Valerie Whitney and husband, Travis, J.T. Rutledge, Coy White and wife, Jennifer. 9 Great-Grandchildren; Bryleigh Lopez, Addison and Reagan Wilkinson, Mason and Morgan Rutledge, Lane and Lance Whitney, Chase and Corbyn White.
Graveside burial directed by Johnson’s Funeral Home will be Saturday, November 23, 2019, at 11:00a.m. in the Garden of Apostles at Lawnhaven Memorial Gardens, 4989 FM Highway 1223, San Angelo, Texas 76905. Expressed by Babe, days before her passing; "Thank You Dana and Mark for all you have done for me through the years. Thank You for being the sons that I lost. Please look after my girls for me. I Love You!" The family wishes to thank the Shannon medical staff for going the extra mile with such compassionate care as well as those who have extended emotional support during mom’s final days. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the American Diabetes Association, West Texas Boys Ranch, SPCA or your charity of choice.
“In life we loved you dearly, in death we love you still,
In our hearts you hold a place, No one else will ever fill.”
