Ruth spent her last years in the throes of Altzheimers disease. The following eulogy was written by her daughter, Dian, and read by the pastor at her funeral:
Where Did Mother Go, Lord?
Where did Mother go, Lord? This form I see before me is someone I do not recognize except in those fleeting moments when our eyes meet briefly and she sees a person, although she has long since forgotten who I was, and that sweet, sweet smile lights her face. For that fleeting moment,Lord, she's Mother.
Where did Mother go, Lord? Even though her vision is blurred now, and her ears no longer understand, her lips speak to someone that only she can see.
Where did Mother go, Lord? She was always smiling, never complaining, full of laughter and fun. Always ready to say words of encouragement and always ready to go. She loved her husband, children, grandchildren, brother and sisters, and she loved all the family get-to-gathers. To a little girl she was a special Grammy.
Her hands were always busy. Picking strawberries and tomatoes. Shelling peas and shucking corn. Frying fish and making hushpuppies and grits. And her biscuits were always in demand. Starching khaki pants and yards and yards of crinolines. And sewing, always sewing. What beautiful clothes she made. And laughing - at a small child as he rode his tricycle through the house pulling his "cock-loo-loo" with a small dog barking behind. What a sight and sound!
She loved going to the beach but the mountains were her home - sitting on the porch in a rocking chair with a cup of hot tea on a cool morning or walking to Dan Springs to get a drink of cool water.
Where did Mother go, dear Lord. She lives in our hearts. Amen.
Ruth was aflicted with Alzheimer's Disease for the last few years of her life, wasting away to a mere 65 pounds at the time of her death. She was under the care of a nursing home in Sarasota when she died.
