Ruth Marie Caughey-Flynn

Ruth Caughey-Flynn died peacefully Sunday March 10th, 2024, at Toledo Hospital surrounded by love and with her family.

Ruth was born in Middletown CT on Sept. 15th, 1959, and was the proud daughter of Frank and Lois Caughey. Her father, Frank, was a military Chaplain whose job provided a diverse backdrop for her unique childhood. Ruth was truly an international child of God. During her early life she lived briefly in many places including Westbrook CT, San Antonio TX, Casablanca Morocco, Rome NY, Frankfurt Germany, Oklahoma City OK, and Topeka KS. Ruth was a graduate of Midwest City High School in Oklahoma and of The University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. While in high school and college, Ruth worked various jobs as a server, retail sales clerk and a lifeguard.

Her varied working career included life insurance sales, ad agency proofreading, greeting card and retail merchandising, proxy robot troubleshooting, and jewelry sales. She worked for several years as a manicurist and eventually as the owner and operator of her own nail salon. As a multi-faceted entrepreneur, she also did custom cake design and decoration. Her proudest achievement in life was when she became a mother. She balanced all this while being a homemaker, chauffeur, soccer mom, and avid supporter of the arts and was actively involved in her children's extra-curricular activities.
Her daughter Alexandria was not the only one to consider her a mother. She told everyone she had five children and considered her stepchildren her own. Caring for them throughout the various stages of their lives and being the thread that wove the fabric of her family together.

Later in life she decided she wanted to get into show business and made her debut as a featured extra in the movie "Stone." Knowing that her strong suit was connecting people she transitioned to casting soon after. Eventually opening Flynn Casting and memorably being the casting director for over forty films. Before she retired, Ruth shifted her focus to producing for television and independent film.

In similar fashion to the rest of her diverse life she had many hobbies. She enjoyed photography, scrapbooking, making collages, and constructing artificial flower arrangements for every holiday. She was an unofficial member of the fashion police. As the self-proclaimed "Glitzy Woman" she always enjoyed having BIG hair, adorning flashy outfits, and accessorizing with elegant jewelry. She never passed up a chance to play dress up with her daughter and eventually with her beloved Baby Cat; sharing the joy it brought her with anyone who would indulge in her reverie.

Ruth had a propensity for collecting paintings, religious statues, enameled jewelry boxes, and Christmas ornaments to name a few. Every year at Christmas she would take pleasure in driving around town with her family, singing carols while critiquing the local Christmas decorations. Ruth cherished planning road trips, spoiling her friends' children with gifts and attention, and spotting wild animals while traveling and in the backyard.

Ruth had an extraordinary gift to make, nurture, and keep friends throughout her lifetime. She maintained frequent connections via letters, phone calls, cards, emails, and eventually texts spanning from junior high school friends to strangers she met in the grocery store. The truth was that no one was ever a stranger to Ruth. It was as if they knew each other for years, even before their first hello. It never mattered who initiated the conversation. She was happy, smiling, and open to speak to anyone and everyone. She was genuinely curious about people, where they were from, their jobs, their children and all the things that gave meaning to their lives. Although we may search our own lives for meaning, she easily found it in people and within the loving relationships she built with them throughout her lifetime.

She is survived by her "My Husband" William Flynn, her daughter Alexandria, her stepchildren Kerrie, Christina, Jennifer, and Brion, as well as her brothers David, Grant, and Steven Caughey.

The plans for Ruth's internment at Calvary Cemetery in Toledo and for a Celebration of Life event in Jackson in the spring are underway.

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