An Extraordinary Life
It is with a broken heart that I am writing to tell you that Carey Mumford passed away on Friday (October 18) night at his home in Crossville.
The world has lost one of its most magnificent people.
Jim Samsing and I were with him and Jan last week. Carey’s brilliant mind was still here but his body had betrayed him. He was his amazing self until the end.
Carey graduated from Wake Forest University and Colgate-Rochester Divinity School. He spent the first part of his career as a Chaplain in the New York State Health Department. His unique and uncanny understanding of human behavior, self-management and stress reduction, would lead him to his second career. Carey worked with executives of Fortune 500 companies helping them understand how people react and respond to situations and how most effectively to manage others.
Carey would then transition that work to the game that he loved so much, golf, and the application of his research for those who play the game. Carey was instrumental in the design and implementation of the PGA of America’s advanced education program. His work is referenced in several books and he was the author of “Golf’s Best Kept Secret”, “The Double Connexion”, “The Putting Book” and “The Mental Game”.
He would face over 22,000 members of the PGA of America in his role in the advanced education program and conduct over 200 clinics in 30 states and Canada. He worked personally with over 100 PGA and LPGA Tour players, Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour) and Nike (now Web.com) Tour. He was a cornerstone of Bird Golf since our inception in 1999 and has been such an integral part of helping so many thousands of our students play their best golf.
I first met Carey 25 years ago when I heard him speak at a convention. Since that first mesmerizing moment, I knew that I was in the presence of greatness. In the ensuing years he was mentor, confidant, and truest of friends.
His beloved wife, Jan, who he adored so much, wrote that he is now at peace. Carey had requested that there be no service and that his ashes be spread on golf courses by his sons, Brent and Erich. Carey was extremely proud of the success of his sons and the men that they have become. Should you wish to send your respects to Jan, their address is:
130 Highland Drive, Crossville, TN 38572
Carey did what so many aspire to do and so few are able to achieve. He has left this world infinitely better than when he arrived. He taught and educated so many thousands of people and enriched all of their lives with his genius, wit, and groundbreaking work. He has left an everlasting legacy. He is legend.
I loved this man so dearly. The only loss in my life of this magnitude was when I lost my Dad. It is my prayer that they are now together in Heaven watching over us.
Jay
