Carmen Ruiz-Cortina Wallace

Carmen Ruiz-Cortina Wallace, 82 of La Plata, MD passed away on Saturday, March 16, 2024 at her residence. Carmen was born on April 22, 1941 in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain to Ana Maria Sierrra, and Guillermo Ruiz-Cortina. After elementary school in Spain Carmen went to the Ursuline Convent boarding school near London in Brentwood England. After completing high school, she earned a Cambridge Certificate to teach English in Spain. Upon returning home she started working as an operator and producer at Radio Jerez, the family radio station. She later went to work for the U.S. Navy at Rota, Spain where she met Lt. Ernest Wallace USNR; they married September 5, 1964. In January they moved to Jacksonville Beach, Florida where her daughter was born. Florida was followed by moves to Virginia, Guam, Hawaii, California, Virginia, Maryland, Italy, and back to Maryland. While in Guam the ships homeport was changed from Guam to Hawaii at the time the ship deployed for operations in the Western Pacific. The wives had five days to vacate their government quarters and depart for Hawaii. Ernie was the senior married officer on the ship so Carmen became responsible for ensuring all the wives were able to do so and were settled when they got to Hawaii and report progress to the squadron commander. Her son Ernest Jr. was born just prior to the ship moving to Florida. Carmen and the children temporarily moved to stay with Ernie’s parents in Missouri until Ernie was transferred to the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California. Since Carmen spoke both English and Spanish, she was immediately asked to be a hostess at international receptions while in California. Later she served as a hostess at a meeting of the Heads of Communications of those Nations participating in the Interamerican Naval Telecommunicators Network. While Ernie attended a six-month short course at the Joint Staff College in Virginia, she enrolled in an oil painting class. She had sketched all her life and it was immediately obvious that she was a talented artist. After the college they moved to Maryland where she started participating in numerous art shows and selling her work. Her first one-woman show was held in Italy. After returning to Maryland, she participated in a few group-shows and had one artist shows in Washington D.C., Prince Georges and Charles County Maryland. She later quit show participation and was fully occupied with commissioned work and work for art galleries in Waldorf, Alexandria and Annapolis. She was a founding member of the North End Gallery and participated in several organizations in Southern Maryland. Her most well-known work is “The Village of Port Tobacco Maryland Circa 1870” which is displayed in the College of Southern Maryland Library. Carmen was a member of the Charles County Women’s Club, Historical Society, and the Kiwanis Club of Waldorf. She enjoyed; geology, archeology, mineralogy, antiques, sewing, crochet, and painting. Carmen is preceded in death by her parents and two sisters. In addition to her husband Ernest, Carmen is survived by her children; Ana Maria Baker and her husband Charles Baker, III, of Florida and Ernest Larry Wallace, Jr. and his wife Cynthia Wallace, of Florida; grandchildren; Susana Baker, Charles E. Baker IV, Maia Wallace, and Ian Kai Wallace; and siblings; Maria Luisa Ruiz-Cortina, Trini Ruiz-Cortina, Angela Ruiz-Cortina, Christina Ruiz-Cortina, Lourdes Ruiz-Cortina, Federico Ruiz-Cortina, Guillermo Ruiz-Cortina, and Alejandro Ruiz-Cortina. The family will receive visitors on Monday, March 25, 2024 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at Raymond Funeral Service, 5635 Washington Ave, La Plata, MD 20646. Interment will take place at a later date at a National Veterans Cemetery.

Carmen Ruiz-Cortina Wallace

April 22, 1941 - March 16, 2024