Obituary of Samuel Rutland

SAMUEL FRISBIE RUTLAND, JR Mr. Sam Rutland, 84, of Charlotte, N.C. peacefully passed away on Tuesday, November 17, 2009. Sam was born on January 4, 1925 in Montgomery, Alabama, the son of the late Samuel and Mae Adams Rutland. He grew up in Mitchell, Alabama, Bullock County. Sam served in the U.S. Navy as a carrier pilot during World War II and the Korean War and then released to the naval reserves in 1948. He entered Georgia Institute of Technology and received his Chemical Engineering degree in 1951. Mr. Rutland claimed that his greatest achievement in life was his marriage to Eleanor Nettles in 1950. From 1951 until 1953 Sam and Eleanor lived in Harrisonburg, VA where he was employed by Merck & Co. He was recalled back to active duty in the U.S. Navy and was based in San Diego, CA. After this naval tour he worked as plant manager for Flexible Products, Inc. and later for a Kayser Roth, Inc., in Marietta, GA. In 1963 they moved to Charlotte, N.C. where he founded Rutland Plastics,Inc., serving as its President for 25 years. Sam was a member of the Society of Plastics Industries, Inc. and served as President of the Vinyl Dispersions Division and on the National Executive Board of Directors. In 1983 he became a member of the Plastics Pioneers Association and was a member of the Society of Plastics Engineers holding many leadership positions in the Virginia Carolinas Section and on the National Board. He was awarded The SPE Presidents Cup. Always concerned for his community, Sam served as a Director of the Dilworth Rotary Club and was a Paul Harris Fellow. He was a Boy Scout Troop leader at Myers Park Baptist Church, a member of the Red Cross Blood Drive Committee, on the Board of Directors of Mars Hill College, a member and past president of Myers Park Country Club, and a deacon at Providence Baptist Church where he served as Chairman and Deacon Emeritus. He enjoyed golfing, traveling, gardening, bridge, and sharing a great meal with friends and family. Sam?s genuine kindness, generosity, leadership ability, and keen sense of fairness earned him respect from all who knew him. He was devoted to God, his church, his family, his friends, and his country. Mr. Rutland was preceded in death by his wife, Eleanor Nettles Rutland, who passed away in June of 2005. Also preceding him was his sister Marion Rutland Johnson. Family survivors include his sister, Anne Rutland Mason and sister in-law, Elizabeth Nettles Penton. Surviving children are Dr. Samuel Frisbie Rutland, III and his wife, Miriam Williams Rutland, Elizabeth Rutland Wolfe and her husband, Gary Steven Wolfe, Katherine Lynn Mussen and her husband, James Jeffrey Mussen. His pride and joy were his grandchildren; Ashley Elizabeth Tucker, Michael Rutland Tucker, Meredith Williams Rutland, Sarah Elizabeth Rutland, and Samuel Harper Mussen. Mr. Rutland also had many beloved nieces and nephews. The family is very thankful for the caring and professional staff of Sharon Towers and for their excellent care of Sam while battling Parkinson?s disease. A service celebrating Sam Rutland?s life will be held at 1:00 pm, Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at Providence Baptist Church. Visitation will be held Tuesday, November 24th between 5 and 6 pm at Sharon Towers in Hunter Hall, and briefly following the memorial service on Wednesday. Interment will be private. Honorary Pall Bearers will be the Selby Daniels Sunday School Class, the Deacons of Providence Baptist Church, the Dilworth Rotary Club, Rutland Plastics Associates, and the ROMEOS. Mr. Rutland requested that memorials may be made to Providence Baptist Church, 4921 Randolph Road, Charlotte, NC 28211, Mars Hill College, PO Box 370, Mars Hill, NC 28754; Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, 3400 Brook Road, Richmond, VA 23227; or Sharon Towers Residents Assistant Fund, 5100 Sharon Road, Charlotte, NC 28210.