Frances Ruth Landers

Frances Ruth Day Landers, 88, passed away on February 1, 2021. She was born January 6, 1933, in Little Rock to Henry and Malinda Wittenburg Day. Preceded in death by her parents, sister Rose Cordon, husband of 62 years Joe P. Landers and son Joe Philip Landers Jr., she is survived by daughters and sons-in-law Linda and Jeffery Heltz and Anna and Edward Swaim, all of Little Rock; grandchildren Dallas Wesley Heltz and wife Candice, Mylinda Haltom and husband John, Kathryn Kersey and husband Nick, James Swaim and John Swaim; great-grandchildren Alyssa Kate Heltz, Caroline Heltz, Charlotte Heltz, Michael Heltz, River Haltom, Anna Haltom, Hunter Kersey and Kaitlyn Kersey; nieces Karen Austin and Kelly Bowen; sister-in-law Pat Beasley; and a host of beloved extended family and friends.

Ruth graduated from Little Rock High School in 1951 and attended Capitol City Junior College. She met Joe on a blind date and they married on April 13, 1952, at Oak Forest United Methodist Church in Little Rock. When Joe joined the U.S. Navy in 1953, they were stationed in Hawaii for three years, where Philip and Linda were born. The family returned to Little Rock and enjoyed spending time with friends and family at their home on Foster Street, where Anna was born, and later in the house that Joe built on County Line Road.

Ruth had a passion for genealogy and tracing her family tree. Her father was an Englishman and passed away when she was six years old. As an adult, she wrote to the vicar of the church in the village he came from and was able to connect with her family. In the 1980s, she traveled to England, saw the place where her father had grown up and met many cousins. Over the years, she and Joe traveled across the country and to Canada to spend time with her “British cousins.” Her extended Wittenburg family held a special place in her heart and we rejoice in their heavenly reunion.

Her greatest joy was being a homemaker, mother and grandma, and she leaves a tremendous legacy of love and faith. For many years, she worked seasonally for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a cotton classer and recorder and developed close friendships with her fellow “cotton mongers,” as Joe called them. In retirement, Ruth loved volunteering at Western Hills United Methodist Church—teaching Sunday school, updating the message on the church sign, pulling weeds and mowing, playing the piano, helping with Wednesday-night suppers, posting Facebook “funnies” on the bulletin board and cutting up with friends in the office. She also enjoyed participating in activities at the Avilla Community Center in Saline County.

The family would like to thank the staff at Memory Care of Little Rock. Sign the online guest book at griffinleggetthealeyroth.com. Memorials may be made to the Arkansas Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association or the charity of your choice.