MOUNT GILEAD — Ruth E. Queen Beck, 94, of Mount Gilead, died early Saturday morning, April 11, 2009, at the Morrow County Hospital Extended Care Facility following a brief illness.
On Nov. 17, 1914, Ruth was born in Fredericktown, Ohio, the daughter of the late Allen and Lura Bell (Frizzell) Queen. While helping on the family potato farm, she also had attended Johnsville schools. After joining her brother to a literary school function, Ruth met a handsome young gentleman, George P. Beck, whom she was approached by. Soon thereafter they would marry on June 6, 1936, in Greenup, Ky. They enjoyed over 68 years of marriage, until he preceded her in death on Dec. 28, 2004.
Having lost her mother when she was only 9 years old, Ruth vowed to always be there for her children. Nearly every day of her life she sacrificed for the betterment of her children, with her loving and caring ways. She took pride in everything domestic, whether it was cleaning her home, ironing every piece of clothing that was washed, washing the windows, and most especially cooking.
As a cook, everything that was made in Ruth’s kitchen was “tremendous.” Being a dairy farmer’s wife, she had access to many eggs, and from those eggs she would always make her famous angel food cake or hickory nut cakes. She considered it a “sin” to eat a store bought pie, which she always referred to as a “skinny pie” because they never used the best ingredients to make them. Whenever her children would come home they would never leave hungry, and she would send any food she had from the farm with them, anything from eggs and vegetables to meat.
A quiet woman, Ruth preferred to stay at home with her constant companion, Tabby. She also had a good sense of humor, and would catch you off guard with a witty comment.
Ruth was a member of the Waterford Church of Christ.
She will be dearly missed by her three children, Arthur “Pete” (Phyllis) Beck of Orlando, Fla., Dean (Sheila) Beck of Fredericktown and Sherry (Gerald) Williams of Harrison, Ohio; seven grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; sister, Janet Irene Ault of Mount Gilead; and two sisters-in-law: Maxine Plough of Mount Gilead and Dorothy Queen Parker of Florida.
In addition to her husband and parents, Ruth was preceded in death by three brothers, Kenneth, Lyle and Harold Queen; and her sister, Margaret Queen.
The Beck family will greet friends today from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Snyder Funeral Home, Craven Chapel, 67 N. Main St., Mount Gilead, where services celebrating her life will be held Tuesday, April 14, at 11 a.m. Pastors Ray Linn and Daryl Swearingen will officiate. Burial will follow in Northfork Cemetery on Waterford Road.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Waterford Church of Christ or to the Morrow County Hospital TWIGS, and they may be sent in care of the funeral home.
Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.snyderfuneralhomes.com.
