Maude Irene Cardy

Maude Irene Miller was born in St. Louis, MO, to Herbert G. and Laura C. Miller on July 3, 1923. She was raised in St. Louis and was a student at Normandy High School when her brother H.G. was born. Maude attended Columbia Bible College in South Carolina for a time before returning to St. Louis.

In 1945 a mutual friend introduced Maude to Clare Cardy, a sergeant in the Army Air Corp, at a Youth For Christ rally. Maude and Clare got engaged in February of 1946 and that summer they managed a Bible camp at Camp Tadmor in the Ozarks. This was to be the first of many, many Bible camp administrations; Clare would lead and teach and Maude would manage the cafeterias, feeding hundreds of campers delicious meals. Maude and Clare were married at Hope Church in St. Louis on September 3, 1946. The next day they moved to Columbia, SC, where Clare attended Columbia Bible College.

With Clare wanting to attend Washington University, the Cardys moved back to St. Louis where Clare became one of the first veterans to use the brand new G.I. bill for education. Maude gave birth to Pam in St. Louis.

Finishing university, Clare, Maude and Pam drove to Dallas, TX in a 1936 Chevy and took up residence at Dallas Theological Seminary, where Clare was a student and Maude became dietitian of the seminary cafeteria, ordering all supplies, managing the cooks and making sure the 100 single male students were well fed for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Maude also took over management of the seminary book store. During their 6 years in Dallas, Judy and Ed were born and Clare earned two more educational degrees. At that point Maude told Clare she had given him one child for each of his 3 degrees and that was it - no more school!

In 1955 the family of 5 moved to Baroda, MI, a town of 300 in a region of farmland, for their first pastorate. Here Maude began instilling in her children the importance of hospitality and generosity; church suppers were almost weekly events, and Maude always provided numerous dishes.

Pastoral positions in Las Cruces, NM, Grass Valley, CA, Albuquerque, NM and Phoenix, AZ followed. In every church family Maude was helpmeet to Clare in the church, raised her children in the Lord, and continued her love of feeding people and opening her home. The kids say they can hardly remember a Sunday noon meal where there weren’t guests: nearby servicemen, missionaries or friends.

Maude was an excellent seamstress and could sew anything - beautifully. When Pam and Judy were young, Maude made all their clothes and fancy dresses, sometimes staying up all night to finish a project. Numerous times for the birthday of Pam or Judy’s girlfriends Maude would find out what kind of doll the girl had and make a little clothes hamper full of hand-sewn doll clothes. She continued this tradition with her granddaughters, sewing them outfits and making elaborate gifts.

After 21 years in Phoenix, Maude and Clare returned to Baroda, MI, now a town of 600, for their last church ministry. Here in Baroda they had life-long friends, and Baroda became the small town that the Cardy kids and grandkids could go to for lazy summers, full of fresh corn, peaches and fireflies, and for snowy winters. Maude fueled church suppers, volunteered at the hospital auxilliary in nearby St. Joseph and was on the Christian Arts Council. She continued her life-long love of crochet, making lap robes for the elderly and for missionaries, hats for newborns, and afghans and baby blankets for everyone else.

Maude and Clare retired to Phoenix in 2013. These years were filled with family times and new great-grand children.

Maude had a beautiful smile and loved to fellowship with people. She, along with Clare, instilled in her children that love, along with a strong faith in Jesus Christ. She was a Nana extraordinare, providing her 4 grandchildren with lifelong memories of special times. She was a great Nana to her 5 great-grandchildren, welcoming them with open arms and a ride on her walker when they came to visit. And yes, still crocheting blankets for them and for the girls’ dolls.

Clare and Maude truly were friends for life. Everything they did - raising their children, leading church families, supporting missionaries, opening their home, travelling - was a partnership of one, united in faith in God and love for each other.

Maude Cardy entered heaven on Saturday, September 14, 2019. She leaves a legacy that will live on in her family down through generations. She was dearly loved and will be greatly missed. The family take comfort in knowing that one day, because of their individual faith in Jesus Christ and acceptance of His salvation, they will be reunited with Maude in heaven for eternity.

John 14:1-3“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Friends for Life

Thoughts of the soul shared with compassion

Everlasting trust in a common goal

Always forgiving, ever building

True friends for life

Loyalty, hearts in communion, mutual union built on a sympathy

Growing together through whatever

True friends for life.

As sorrow demands that someone would care

So joy commands that its’ joy should be shared

Iron sharpens iron to strength in the end and so

Faithful and good are the wounds of a friend for life.

Patient and caring, sanctuary formed as we’re sharing strife

Always protecting, not neglecting.

True friends for life.

As water reflects the face of a man

So a man’s heart can be shown by his friend

And if I am molded by what I love, it’s you -

You’ve taught me lovingly how to be

Friends for life.

Encouraged to be what we should be

Committed to make things right.

Sacred companion, take my hand. We’ll be friends for life.