Ruth Ellen Kenny

Ruth was born in Donora, Pennsylvania, to Daniel L. and Viola (Aten) Wineland. Ruth lived in Belle Vernon, Monongahela, Library, and Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, as well as Fort Mill, South Carolina and Matthews, North Carolina.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Raymond Kenny (1997); her daughter, Patricia Ruth Kenny Foust (1995); her son, Robert Daniel Kenny (1996); and her brother, Daniel Paul Wineland (2020).

She is survived by her daughter Mary Fleischman (Phil) of Matthews, North Carolina; her son Timothy Kenny (Hettie) of Venice, Florida; and her daughter-in-law Joan V. Michel Kenny of Butler, Pennsylvania, as well as her dear sisters, Carolyn Sweeney of Jupiter, Florida, and Esther McCarty of New Eagle, Pennsylvania.

Also left to cherish wonderful memories are her grandchildren Sarah Fleischman Lewallen, Sabrina Joy Fleischman, Paul Stephen Kenny, Christina Marie Kenny Pasierb, Erica Kenny Norris, Robert Lewis Kenny, Gerrie Wagner, and Thomas Foust, along with many great-grandchildren in several states.

Ruth also enjoyed a loving companionship she called a “permanent engagement” to Cecil “Shep” Sheffield until his passing in 2021.

She retired from the South Butler County School District, where she served as a secretary at Knoch High School and in the district administrative office.

Ruth loved animals and almost always had a pet—most recently a Yorkipoo named Buddy.

She began serving others at an early age as a volunteer candy striper at the old Monongahela hospital, even before she graduated from Monongahela High School in 1952. She married Robert Kenny in 1954, and together they raised four children. For many years Ruth blessed churches through her faithful ministry as pianist, organist, choir director, and music director, maintaining a lifelong membership with Monongahela Church of the Nazarene. After the death of her two older children and her husband, Ruth led grief support groups and served as a Hospice volunteer. She hosted Valentine’s Day lunches for widows and made apple pies for people she wanted to bless in a special way. She hosted Bible studies in her home and always made time for someone who needed a listening ear. She loved her family and friends dearly. Ruth’s faith in her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ defined her life and is a comfort to us all during this time.

Funeral will take place Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10:00 AM at Monongahela Church of the Nazarene, Monongahela, Pennsylvania, with interment to follow at Fells Church Cemetery in Fellsburg, Pennsylvania.

A Celebration of Life will take place at Pineville Church of the Nazarene, 8614 Pineville-Matthews Rd., Charlotte, North Carolina, 28226 at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, 2026.

Memories may be shared at www.McEwenPinevilleChapel.com