January 14, 1953 – October 3, 2020
Carol Ann Lau (Ruckle) ’78-B was born Jan. 14, 1953, and died Oct. 3, 2020. Dr. Lau attended La Sierra College and went on to graduate from LLUSM in 1978. Dr. Lau completed an internship at White Memorial Hospital, followed by residency in anesthesiology at LLUMC and a pediatric anesthesia fellowship at Denver Children’s Hospital. After her fellowship, Dr. Lau returned to LLU and joined the faculty as a pediatric anesthesiologist. She quickly became an important member of the department of anesthesia and performed all types of anesthesia, including pediatric, neuro, and cardiac. She worked with B. Lyn Behrens ’63 and Linda Mason ’74 to establish the pediatric intensive care unit and served as its associate director. Dr. Lau later returned to the operating room, where she met Herbert C. Ruckle ’86. She married Herb in 1989, and their son, David E. Ruckle ’19, was born in 1992. They moved to Minnesota, where Herb completed a urologic oncology fellowship at the Mayo Clinic and Dr. Lau worked as an attending anesthesiologist until rejoining the medical faculty at LLU in 1993.
Dr. Lau balanced working part time in anesthesia, raising David, and enjoying her passions, including family and the outdoors. In 2015, Dr. Lau was diagnosed with cancer and underwent treatments that allowed her to continue her life, keep working, and celebrate David’s graduation from medical school and wedding to Elizabeth Yeo ’19.
Dr. Lau was esteemed by her colleagues, residents, students, and the OR staff for her kind- ness to everyone, clinical acumen, strong work ethic, and calm presence. She was valued for her unflappable focus while managing complex patients and using those experiences to teach her residents and students. Dr. Lau worked at LLUMC until her retirement in 2020.
She is survived by her husband, Herb; son, David (Elizabeth); father, Francis Y. Lau ’47; sister, Kathleen M. Lau ’82; and brothers, Gerry E. Lau ’77 and Ronald D. Lau ’77.
(Source: School of Medicine of Loma Linda University)