Paul Carruthers

Paul Thomas Carruthers, 56, of Humboldt , South Dakota, died on August 10, 2019, in the Hospice Unit at the Sioux Falls VA hospital. 

Paul was born to Robert and Joan Carruthers on November 18, 1962, in Morris, Minnesota.

He graduated from Springfield Public School in 1981 and graduated from South Dakota State University in 1985. While at college he completed the ROTC program and became an officer. 

Upon graduation he moved to California and worked for United Airlines in Sioux Falls, Minneapolis and Los Angeles.  In 1990, he was promoted to First Lieutenant and he was sent to Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait with active duty with the Army in Operation Desert Storm in the 250th Transportation Company. In 2000, he was promoted to Major.  He again reported for active duty for seven years and was stationed at Fort Snelling and served as the Deputy Garrison Commander at Fort Hood, Texas. In 2008 Paul was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and reported to Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. In 2010, Paul was promoted to the rank of Colonel and reported to the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois where he worked in support of the Global War on Terrorism. 

Paul had a passion for fishing and hunting that he learned from his father.  He had a love for animals and nature and also enjoyed traveling and was able to visit many different countries.  

He is survived by his mother, Joan; brother, Dave (Linda); nieces, Katie Carruthers and Emily Harlow (Jordan) and their children Caleb and Hazel; great aunts, Alice Carruthers and Donna Tunge; and many cousins and their families. He enjoyed his many friends that he met at United Airlines and in the Army. He was preceded in death by his father.

The memorial service will be held at Heritage Funeral Home in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on August 24, at 3 p.m. Interment will be at the Black Hills National Cemetery at a future date.

Springfield Advance-Press

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