Ruth L. (Seward) Banker

Ruth Seward Banker of Olympia passed away on May 31, 2015, after a long illness. She was born in Dayton, Ohio on October 2, 1922.

She is survived by sons Jack (Rhodetta); Walter-Buddy (Beth); Pete (Venice); and Scott, all of Olympia; Dale (Gina) of Port Townsend; daughter Lucille-Skeeter Elder of Prosser, Carleen Waddell, North Carolina; and daughter-in-law, Debbie Seward of Rochester. She is also survived by her brothers Ralph and Robert Huber of Dayton, Ohio, along with 29 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren and one great great grandchild – all whom she loved and adored.

Ruth was preceded by her spouse Walter (Bud) Seward; Richard Banker; daughters Leona (Toots) Collins; Connie Raught, son Don Seward and granddaughter April Alexander. She was a member of Evergreen Christian Community Church, (Olympia Assembly of God) since 1957 and had no greater love than for the Lord and her family.

Ruth spent many years working for the Olympia school district, working in the Capital High School cafeteria until she was 70-years old. Always a hard worker, greeting others with a smile, and pouring her love into whatever task she took on, Ruth will long be remembered. She was a woman of many talents: knitting, crocheting, her garden and green house, always prepared to go camping, and too many arts and crafts to name. Every Christmas each grandchild anticipated their homemade ornament from “Gramma Ruth.”

Her big smile and loving heart will be deeply missed by the very large and loving Seward family. We all learned lessons on how to stretch a dollar, how to be kind to others, how to give and share, how to enjoy family events at the drop of a hat, how to pray and every child and grandchild “got to go to church with Gramma.”

A graveside service is planned for Saturday, June 13, 2015, at 1:00 p.m. at the Masonic Cemetery, 455 North St SE, Tumwater, WA, to be followed with a reception at Evergreen Christian Community, 1000 Black Lake Blvd, Olympia 98502.