She was very close to her mother-in-law, Nina Mardel Ratliff Lutz (1909-1985) and thought of her as a second mother.
Carmen was born in Palo Alto but grew up in Woodside California. In 1947, Palo Alto was the closest hospital to Woodside. Her father worked at the Athol McBean Estate in Woodside California. Carmen could remember living in a large white farmhouse with chickens in the yard. Her parents and their friends made their own wine, and yes, they did actually crush the grapes with their feet. It wasn't for lack of a better way to crush grapes. It was traditional and added to the party atmosphere of harvest time. They also processed their own olives.
Carmen's Communion was at the historic Our Lady of the Wayside Church in Portola Valley, California on May 15, 1955. She belonged to Woodside Brownie Troop 484 in Jan 1957.
We met at Sequoia High School in Redwood City. She was a couple of years behind me. She used to exchange textbooks with a girl I knew whose locker was next to mine. I saw her walking home one afternoon and I offered to carry her books (corny huh) that led to my asking her to marry me after her graduation. Our big dates were Roller skating on Friday and Saturday nights. I even took her to two proms. One prom dress is still in the closet.
On August 8, 1965 Carmen and I married in the chapel at the U. S. Naval Hospital, where I was stationed.
My hours at the hospital ended about late afternoon. Carmen worked swing shift for Pacific Bell on Fruitvale Ave. The timing was usually right so we could wave to each other as our busses passed going opposite directions on MacArthur Blvd in Oakland.
Carmen liked to Garden and grew Orchids and Roses. She enjoyed TV shows like NCIS, and British Crime dramas on PBS..
Carmen worked for Pacific Bell/AT&T from 1965 to September 2000 working her way up from old fashion telephone operator using plug in switches to Representative working with major universities and the Federal Government. In 1989 she received Sterling Club award honors from Pacific Bell. In 1994 She received an award letter for setting up the Whitehouse phone services for the President's trip to San Francisco.
When Princess Diana died in a tragic auto accident August 31, 1997 Carmen insisted on buying flowers and delivering them to the British Consulate in San Francisco. Carmen didn’t want to send flowers, she wanted to be there.
She was there and said a prayer before signing the books of condolence. It was just her nature. She knew what was right, and she followed her instincts.
In September of 2000 she was hired by the University of California office of the President to use her telecommunication skills there. She retired in 2012 after starting Kidney dialysis due to her Polycystic Kidney Disease.
I always was sitting on the porch waiting for her when she returned from work rain or shine. When she left in the morning I told her to drive carefully since she was carrying precious cargo (her) We were pretty corny but we wouldn't have had it any other way.
After retiring she kept busy gardening and volunteering at the library. She loved trips to the coast and into the hills. When she began her kidney dialysis treatments in 2010 out trips were almost daily. On Thursdays and Saturday we drove to Half Moon Bay to eat breakfast at a little cafe.
We had silly nicknames for each other just as most couples do. When I was looking through some of her childhood photos I noticed that she was adorable, she was also short in stature so I began calling her,"Little Carmen". Somehow that morphed into something like "Woodo Carmen". Baby talk I guess. Her nickname for me was "Bug". Not the insect but short for "Bug-a-Boo".
We never said good by to each other. We always said some version of good night. It was usually something like "Love you, nite nite". It sounded strange to observers in the middle of the day. This was Carmen's rule and we never broke it. It became second nature.
She didn't have any enemies, at least not for long. She quickly turned potential enemies into friends, and some became her most loyal friends
She loved animals. She always had dogs and cats in various combinations. Her favorite animal was the Panda. If it was possible to keep a Panda in her yard we would have had a Panda. Since that wasn't a possibility she donated to the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center whenever she could.
On the night she was taken to the hospital we were watching "My Music: Country Pop Legends" on PBS. She had her head on my shoulder and she started to sing. She somehow remembered the lyrics to every song back to before her birth. When the show was over she couldn't even remember who or where she was.
She was lucid just before she passed on and said "I love you" in a familiar soft voice that she used to express sincerity. That was her final gift to me.
She was an absolutely beautiful person.
MIchael Ratliff Lutz
There is a Douglas Fir Tree dedicated to Carmen Lutz through the Sempervirens Fund fat the edge of the parking lot at Castle Rock State Park. GPS
N 37˚ 13’ 49.5”
W 122˚ 05’ 44.6”
This is one of the trees dedicated to her by her husband Michael. The others are Redwoods deeper in the woods, but also in Castle Rock State Park. GPS
N 37˚ 12’ 43.6”
W 122˚ 08’ 44.0”
and
N 37˚ 12’ 25.5”
W 122˚ 08’ 38.1”
The Carmen Lutz Redwoods are accompanied by Michael Lutz Redwoods to stand by her side for a thousand years
There are also Carmen Lutz Memorials on Facebook, Ancestry.com, My Heritage.com and Family Search.org featuring over 800 photos and some books.
Her biography is available at the LDS Library and the Allen County Genealogy Library in Ft. Wayne Indiana.
Her biography can be downloaded from Google Drive. Just do a Google search.
MIchael Ratliff Lutz
Carmen was born in Palo Alto but grew up in Woodside California. In 1947, Palo Alto was the closest hospital to Woodside. Her father worked at the Athol McBean Estate in Woodside California. Carmen could remember living in a large white farmhouse with chickens in the yard. Her parents and their friends made their own wine, and yes, they did actually crush the grapes with their feet. It wasn't for lack of a better way to crush grapes. It was traditional and added to the party atmosphere of harvest time. They also processed their own olives.
Carmen's Communion was at the historic Our Lady of the Wayside Church in Portola Valley, California on May 15, 1955. She belonged to Woodside Brownie Troop 484 in Jan 1957.
We met at Sequoia High School in Redwood City. She was a couple of years behind me. She used to exchange textbooks with a girl I knew whose locker was next to mine. I saw her walking home one afternoon and I offered to carry her books (corny huh) that led to my asking her to marry me after her graduation. Our big dates were Roller skating on Friday and Saturday nights. I even took her to two proms. One prom dress is still in the closet.
On August 8, 1965 Carmen and I married in the chapel at the U. S. Naval Hospital, where I was stationed.
My hours at the hospital ended about late afternoon. Carmen worked swing shift for Pacific Bell on Fruitvale Ave. The timing was usually right so we could wave to each other as our busses passed going opposite directions on MacArthur Blvd in Oakland.
Carmen liked to Garden and grew Orchids and Roses. She enjoyed TV shows like NCIS, and British Crime dramas on PBS..
Carmen worked for Pacific Bell/AT&T from 1965 to September 2000 working her way up from old fashion telephone operator using plug in switches to Representative working with major universities and the Federal Government. In 1989 she received Sterling Club award honors from Pacific Bell. In 1994 She received an award letter for setting up the Whitehouse phone services for the President's trip to San Francisco.
When Princess Diana died in a tragic auto accident August 31, 1997 Carmen insisted on buying flowers and delivering them to the British Consulate in San Francisco. Carmen didn’t want to send flowers, she wanted to be there.
She was there and said a prayer before signing the books of condolence. It was just her nature. She knew what was right, and she followed her instincts.
In September of 2000 she was hired by the University of California office of the President to use her telecommunication skills there. She retired in 2012 after starting Kidney dialysis due to her Polycystic Kidney Disease.
I always was sitting on the porch waiting for her when she returned from work rain or shine. When she left in the morning I told her to drive carefully since she was carrying precious cargo (her) We were pretty corny but we wouldn't have had it any other way.
After retiring she kept busy gardening and volunteering at the library. She loved trips to the coast and into the hills. When she began her kidney dialysis treatments in 2010 out trips were almost daily. On Thursdays and Saturday we drove to Half Moon Bay to eat breakfast at a little cafe.
We had silly nicknames for each other just as most couples do. When I was looking through some of her childhood photos I noticed that she was adorable, she was also short in stature so I began calling her,"Little Carmen". Somehow that morphed into something like "Woodo Carmen". Baby talk I guess. Her nickname for me was "Bug". Not the insect but short for "Bug-a-Boo".
We never said good by to each other. We always said some version of good night. It was usually something like "Love you, nite nite". It sounded strange to observers in the middle of the day. This was Carmen's rule and we never broke it. It became second nature.
She didn't have any enemies, at least not for long. She quickly turned potential enemies into friends, and some became her most loyal friends
She loved animals. She always had dogs and cats in various combinations. Her favorite animal was the Panda. If it was possible to keep a Panda in her yard we would have had a Panda. Since that wasn't a possibility she donated to the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center whenever she could.
On the night she was taken to the hospital we were watching "My Music: Country Pop Legends" on PBS. She had her head on my shoulder and she started to sing. She somehow remembered the lyrics to every song back to before her birth. When the show was over she couldn't even remember who or where she was.
She was lucid just before she passed on and said "I love you" in a familiar soft voice that she used to express sincerity. That was her final gift to me.
She was an absolutely beautiful person.
MIchael Ratliff Lutz
There is a Douglas Fir Tree dedicated to Carmen Lutz through the Sempervirens Fund fat the edge of the parking lot at Castle Rock State Park. GPS
N 37˚ 13’ 49.5”
W 122˚ 05’ 44.6”
This is one of the trees dedicated to her by her husband Michael. The others are Redwoods deeper in the woods, but also in Castle Rock State Park. GPS
N 37˚ 12’ 43.6”
W 122˚ 08’ 44.0”
and
N 37˚ 12’ 25.5”
W 122˚ 08’ 38.1”
The Carmen Lutz Redwoods are accompanied by Michael Lutz Redwoods to stand by her side for a thousand years
There are also Carmen Lutz Memorials on Facebook, Ancestry.com, My Heritage.com and Family Search.org featuring over 800 photos and some books.
Her biography is available at the LDS Library and the Allen County Genealogy Library in Ft. Wayne Indiana.
Her biography can be downloaded from Google Drive. Just do a Google search.
MIchael Ratliff Lutz
She was very close to her mother-in-law, Nina Mardel Ratliff Lutz (1909-1985) and thought of her as a second mother.
Carmen was born in Palo Alto but grew up in Woodside California. In 1947, Palo Alto was the closest hospital to Woodside. Her father worked at the Athol McBean Estate in Woodside California. Carmen could remember living in a large white farmhouse with chickens in the yard. Her parents and their friends made their own wine, and yes, they did actually crush the grapes with their feet. It wasn't for lack of a better way to crush grapes. It was traditional and added to the party atmosphere of harvest time. They also processed their own olives.
Carmen's Communion was at the historic Our Lady of the Wayside Church in Portola Valley, California on May 15, 1955. She belonged to Woodside Brownie Troop 484 in Jan 1957.
We met at Sequoia High School in Redwood City. She was a couple of years behind me. She used to exchange textbooks with a girl I knew whose locker was next to mine. I saw her walking home one afternoon and I offered to carry her books (corny huh) that led to my asking her to marry me after her graduation. Our big dates were Roller skating on Friday and Saturday nights. I even took her to two proms. One prom dress is still in the closet.
On August 8, 1965 Carmen and I married in the chapel at the U. S. Naval Hospital, where I was stationed.
My hours at the hospital ended about late afternoon. Carmen worked swing shift for Pacific Bell on Fruitvale Ave. The timing was usually right so we could wave to each other as our busses passed going opposite directions on MacArthur Blvd in Oakland.
Carmen liked to Garden and grew Orchids and Roses. She enjoyed TV shows like NCIS, and British Crime dramas on PBS..
Carmen worked for Pacific Bell/AT&T from 1965 to September 2000 working her way up from old fashion telephone operator using plug in switches to Representative working with major universities and the Federal Government. In 1989 she received Sterling Club award honors from Pacific Bell. In 1994 She received an award letter for setting up the Whitehouse phone services for the President's trip to San Francisco.
When Princess Diana died in a tragic auto accident August 31, 1997 Carmen insisted on buying flowers and delivering them to the British Consulate in San Francisco. Carmen didn’t want to send flowers, she wanted to be there.
She was there and said a prayer before signing the books of condolence. It was just her nature. She knew what was right, and she followed her instincts.
In September of 2000 she was hired by the University of California office of the President to use her telecommunication skills there. She retired in 2012 after starting Kidney dialysis due to her Polycystic Kidney Disease.
I always was sitting on the porch waiting for her when she returned from work rain or shine. When she left in the morning I told her to drive carefully since she was carrying precious cargo (her) We were pretty corny but we wouldn't have had it any other way.
After retiring she kept busy gardening and volunteering at the library. She loved trips to the coast and into the hills. When she began her kidney dialysis treatments in 2010 out trips were almost daily. On Thursdays and Saturday we drove to Half Moon Bay to eat breakfast at a little cafe.
We had silly nicknames for each other just as most couples do. When I was looking through some of her childhood photos I noticed that she was adorable, she was also short in stature so I began calling her,"Little Carmen". Somehow that morphed into something like "Woodo Carmen". Baby talk I guess. Her nickname for me was "Bug". Not the insect but short for "Bug-a-Boo".
We never said good by to each other. We always said some version of good night. It was usually something like "Love you, nite nite". It sounded strange to observers in the middle of the day. This was Carmen's rule and we never broke it. It became second nature.
She didn't have any enemies, at least not for long. She quickly turned potential enemies into friends, and some became her most loyal friends
She loved animals. She always had dogs and cats in various combinations. Her favorite animal was the Panda. If it was possible to keep a Panda in her yard we would have had a Panda. Since that wasn't a possibility she donated to the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center whenever she could.
On the night she was taken to the hospital we were watching "My Music: Country Pop Legends" on PBS. She had her head on my shoulder and she started to sing. She somehow remembered the lyrics to every song back to before her birth. When the show was over she couldn't even remember who or where she was.
She was lucid just before she passed on and said "I love you" in a familiar soft voice that she used to express sincerity. That was her final gift to me.
She was an absolutely beautiful person.
MIchael Ratliff Lutz
There is a Douglas Fir Tree dedicated to Carmen Lutz through the Sempervirens Fund fat the edge of the parking lot at Castle Rock State Park. GPS
N 37˚ 13’ 49.5”
W 122˚ 05’ 44.6”
This is one of the trees dedicated to her by her husband Michael. The others are Redwoods deeper in the woods, but also in Castle Rock State Park. GPS
N 37˚ 12’ 43.6”
W 122˚ 08’ 44.0”
and
N 37˚ 12’ 25.5”
W 122˚ 08’ 38.1”
The Carmen Lutz Redwoods are accompanied by Michael Lutz Redwoods to stand by her side for a thousand years
There are also Carmen Lutz Memorials on Facebook, Ancestry.com, My Heritage.com and Family Search.org featuring over 800 photos and some books.
Her biography is available at the LDS Library and the Allen County Genealogy Library in Ft. Wayne Indiana.
Her biography can be downloaded from Google Drive. Just do a Google search.
MIchael Ratliff Lutz
Carmen was born in Palo Alto but grew up in Woodside California. In 1947, Palo Alto was the closest hospital to Woodside. Her father worked at the Athol McBean Estate in Woodside California. Carmen could remember living in a large white farmhouse with chickens in the yard. Her parents and their friends made their own wine, and yes, they did actually crush the grapes with their feet. It wasn't for lack of a better way to crush grapes. It was traditional and added to the party atmosphere of harvest time. They also processed their own olives.
Carmen's Communion was at the historic Our Lady of the Wayside Church in Portola Valley, California on May 15, 1955. She belonged to Woodside Brownie Troop 484 in Jan 1957.
We met at Sequoia High School in Redwood City. She was a couple of years behind me. She used to exchange textbooks with a girl I knew whose locker was next to mine. I saw her walking home one afternoon and I offered to carry her books (corny huh) that led to my asking her to marry me after her graduation. Our big dates were Roller skating on Friday and Saturday nights. I even took her to two proms. One prom dress is still in the closet.
On August 8, 1965 Carmen and I married in the chapel at the U. S. Naval Hospital, where I was stationed.
My hours at the hospital ended about late afternoon. Carmen worked swing shift for Pacific Bell on Fruitvale Ave. The timing was usually right so we could wave to each other as our busses passed going opposite directions on MacArthur Blvd in Oakland.
Carmen liked to Garden and grew Orchids and Roses. She enjoyed TV shows like NCIS, and British Crime dramas on PBS..
Carmen worked for Pacific Bell/AT&T from 1965 to September 2000 working her way up from old fashion telephone operator using plug in switches to Representative working with major universities and the Federal Government. In 1989 she received Sterling Club award honors from Pacific Bell. In 1994 She received an award letter for setting up the Whitehouse phone services for the President's trip to San Francisco.
When Princess Diana died in a tragic auto accident August 31, 1997 Carmen insisted on buying flowers and delivering them to the British Consulate in San Francisco. Carmen didn’t want to send flowers, she wanted to be there.
She was there and said a prayer before signing the books of condolence. It was just her nature. She knew what was right, and she followed her instincts.
In September of 2000 she was hired by the University of California office of the President to use her telecommunication skills there. She retired in 2012 after starting Kidney dialysis due to her Polycystic Kidney Disease.
I always was sitting on the porch waiting for her when she returned from work rain or shine. When she left in the morning I told her to drive carefully since she was carrying precious cargo (her) We were pretty corny but we wouldn't have had it any other way.
After retiring she kept busy gardening and volunteering at the library. She loved trips to the coast and into the hills. When she began her kidney dialysis treatments in 2010 out trips were almost daily. On Thursdays and Saturday we drove to Half Moon Bay to eat breakfast at a little cafe.
We had silly nicknames for each other just as most couples do. When I was looking through some of her childhood photos I noticed that she was adorable, she was also short in stature so I began calling her,"Little Carmen". Somehow that morphed into something like "Woodo Carmen". Baby talk I guess. Her nickname for me was "Bug". Not the insect but short for "Bug-a-Boo".
We never said good by to each other. We always said some version of good night. It was usually something like "Love you, nite nite". It sounded strange to observers in the middle of the day. This was Carmen's rule and we never broke it. It became second nature.
She didn't have any enemies, at least not for long. She quickly turned potential enemies into friends, and some became her most loyal friends
She loved animals. She always had dogs and cats in various combinations. Her favorite animal was the Panda. If it was possible to keep a Panda in her yard we would have had a Panda. Since that wasn't a possibility she donated to the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center whenever she could.
On the night she was taken to the hospital we were watching "My Music: Country Pop Legends" on PBS. She had her head on my shoulder and she started to sing. She somehow remembered the lyrics to every song back to before her birth. When the show was over she couldn't even remember who or where she was.
She was lucid just before she passed on and said "I love you" in a familiar soft voice that she used to express sincerity. That was her final gift to me.
She was an absolutely beautiful person.
MIchael Ratliff Lutz
There is a Douglas Fir Tree dedicated to Carmen Lutz through the Sempervirens Fund fat the edge of the parking lot at Castle Rock State Park. GPS
N 37˚ 13’ 49.5”
W 122˚ 05’ 44.6”
This is one of the trees dedicated to her by her husband Michael. The others are Redwoods deeper in the woods, but also in Castle Rock State Park. GPS
N 37˚ 12’ 43.6”
W 122˚ 08’ 44.0”
and
N 37˚ 12’ 25.5”
W 122˚ 08’ 38.1”
The Carmen Lutz Redwoods are accompanied by Michael Lutz Redwoods to stand by her side for a thousand years
There are also Carmen Lutz Memorials on Facebook, Ancestry.com, My Heritage.com and Family Search.org featuring over 800 photos and some books.
Her biography is available at the LDS Library and the Allen County Genealogy Library in Ft. Wayne Indiana.
Her biography can be downloaded from Google Drive. Just do a Google search.
MIchael Ratliff Lutz
