Ruth C. Elkins

Ruth Helen Christie Elkins passed away on November 21, 2015 at Alive Hospice. Ruth was born in Junction City, Arkansas on September 20, 1930. She was delivered at home by Dr. Elkins, a relative of her future husband. Ruth went Junction City High, where she graduated valedictorian and was a basketball player on the varsity team. She attended Louisiana Tech on a full scholarship, studying zoology. In 1951 she married her high school sweetheart, Brodie Elkins, who had attended Northwestern State University of Louisiana on an athletic scholarship. The two were inseparable throughout high school and college, and Brodie soon transferred to Louisiana Tech to be with Ruth. After their nuptials, Ruth and Brodie headed west, where Brodie worked as a seismographic tester. Twelve months later in Montana, they welcomed their first daughter, Tommie. For the following five years, the family of three travelled extensively throughout the U.S., eventually returning home to Arkansas, where Brodie worked for Humble Oil and Refining Company (now Exxon). While living in Lewisville, Arkansas, Ruth and Brodie welcomed their second daughter, Cindy. In 1966, Ruth and her family moved to New Orleans, where they relished the Cajun food, the culture, and many years of good times in the Crescent City. While Brodie worked 7 on 7 off shifts offshore, Ruth became an avid tennis player, a much sought-after duplicate bridge player, and the organist at Gretna Methodist Church. From New Orleans, Ruth and Brodie continued their adventures together when Brodie accepted a one-year assignment with Exxon in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where they moved with their daughters. At the end of the assignment, the couple relocated to Lafayette, Louisiana, where Ruth developed life-long friendships and perfected her Cajun cooking skills. After Brodie retired, the couple moved to Jackson, Mississippi, joining their daughter Tommie, who later married Will Goodman. Ruth assisted Tommie in her furniture business, continuing her love of travel as she accompanied Tommie to market in New York, Dallas, Chicago, and High Pointe, North Carolina. In 1992, before the birth of their second grandson, Ruth and Brodie moved to Nashville to be with their daughter and son-in-law, Cindy and Pat Finch, and watch their grandsons grow up.

Ruth was a fighter who overcame many hardships in her later life, including a battle with cancer when she was 68. In 2002, shortly after their 51st wedding anniversary, Ruth lost the love of her life after he suffered a stroke. In 2010, she lost her home in the Nashville floods. Her strength, determination, and sense of humor marked her character. Ruth spent her final years in Franklin, Tennessee, where she was attended by her daughters, Tommie and Cindy, and her sons-in-law, Will and Pat.

Ruth is survived by her loving daughters, Tommie (Will) Goodman and Cindy (Pat) Finch, her beloved grandsons, Luke and Jake Finch, and her sister, Louise (Ed) Landini.

Memorial Service will be on Tuesday, November 24, 2015 at eleven o'clock, First Presbyterian Church, 4815 Franklin Pike, Nashville, TN.

In lieu of flowers, Ruth’s family asks that you consider donating to Alive Hospice, First Presbyterian Church of Nashville, or the charity of your choice.

Visit the online obituary: www.woodlawn-roesch-pattonfh.com