Carol Ruth (Demattos) Carney

Carol Ruth Carney, 74, passed away at her home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin on Sunday August 2, 2020. She was surrounded by her loving husband Philip Carney Jr., her loving son Andrew Carney, and by caring nurses and CNAs who took great care of her for the last 4 years. 

Born in San Francisco, California on April 11, 1946 to Edward and Ruth Demattos, Carol spent the younger part of her childhood in the Bay area until her family moved to Anaheim, California. There she attended Marywood High School and landed a job working at Disneyland where she had the good fortune to the meet the man himself, Walt Disney, several times. 

She received a B.A. in English Literature from Dominican University in San Rafael, California. She received an M.A. in English from Wagner College in Staten Island, New York, and a PhD in English Literature from Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California. She was handed her diploma from guest speaker, actor, Robert Redford at the graduation ceremony. Carol taught high school English at Damien High School in La Verne, California and English Literature at Claremont McKenna College. At CMC she found a warm welcome, settled in and before long came to be known as a fantastic professor, widely loved by students and faculty. The Claremont community appreciated her natural characteristics: she was nurturing and caring, kind and generous. As a lover of language, who also loved helping people, she found herself right at home when she was asked to run the college writing center. On June 18, 1971, Carol married the love of her life Philip S. Carney Jr. Together they had a son Andrew Carney.

She was on the Board of Trustees at her son’s college Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia for several years. She was also a volunteer tour guide at the Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens in Washington, D.C. while living in Maryland. Some simple facts about Carol: she loved to cook and her favorite movie was The Sound of Music. She really liked to escape- whether that be imaginary (she was an avid reader of fiction)- or physical. Carol loved to travel. She was especially drawn to the California coast, Lake Geneva, Charleston, Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon and Mallorca, Spain. She especially enjoyed traveling to Las Vegas with her son and watching top shows including Wayne Newton, where once he sang to her and bought her a bottle of champagne.

Carol was a loving mother, wife, aunt and friend. Her passing follows those of her father Edward Demattos and Ruth Demattos. She is survived by her husband Philip S. Carney Jr., her son Andrew S. Carney, her sister Susan Winckler and her niece Angela Moser. She is also survived by many other wonderful relatives and friends. 

Plans for a memorial service are pending.

To post an online condolence please click the "Share a Memory" box on the left side of your screen.

Derrick Funeral Home is honored to be assisting the family of Mrs. Carney

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Carol Ruth (Demattos) Carney, please visit our floral store.