Ruth F. Phoebus Miller

Ruth was born in Bowling Green, Mo where she lived through high school. She graduated from Greenville College in Illinois and spent most of her career teaching commercial arts at Frankfort Pilgrim High School in Frankfort, IN and Hobe Sound Bible School and College in Hobe Sound, FL. She loved her students and considered it such a privilege to spend over 25 years teaching in Bible Schools.

Two husbands, Gordon F. Phoebus and William Price, preceded her in death. She is survived by her husband, Rev. Jacob A. Miller, children Wesley and Betty (Poe) Phoebus of Brookings OR, Stephen and Rebecca (Phoebus) Mackel of Loganville GA, David and Roberta (Vermilyea) Miller of Thomasville NC, William and Marilyn (Miller) French of Anderson SC, Paul and Ann (Johnson) Miller of Knoxville TN, Dale and Rebecca (Miller) Heintzelman of Orlando FL, Philip and Rhoda (Miller) Valentine of Newport TN, Philip and Judy (Bubb) Miller of Winfield PA, Esther Miller of Summerfield FL, as well as 24 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren.

Visitation will be held at the Hobe Sound Bible Church Thursday, June 12, 2014 from 6-8 pm. Funeral service will be at Hobe Sound Bible Church at 10am Friday, June 13, 2014. Burial will be at Fernhill Memorial Gardens in Stuart, FL.

A Tribute to Ruth Miller

“She hath wrought a good work”

Pastor Paul Pierpoint

When I learned of the passing of our dear sister, and realized that I was to have part in this memorial service, I thought of the words of Jesus when he spoke to Mary of Bethany. “SHE HATH WROUGHT A GOOD WORK. SHE HATH DONE WHAT SHE COULD.” (Mark 14:6, 8)

While these words of praise were directly prompted by a beautiful act of devotion on the part of Mary of Bethany in the pouring out her love in anointing Jesus ..I thought how accurate this would be as a fitting tribute to our dear sister Ruth Miller. She hath wrought a good work.;

For a few moments, I would like to reflect upon the wonderful life of our departed sister that I have known for over 60 years. The journey of life for Ruth began, Feb.17 1929, in Bowling Green Mo., the daughter of Clark and Rose Burks..

The rugged disciplines of those early years, the influences of her church and camp meeting surroundings, the guiding care of a godly mother (single mom) all of this provided building material for the development of character which made Ruth the kind of person she became. Ruth gave her heart to the Lord at the age of 13.

Ruth evidently was a good student all through her school days. In some cases she was a teachers pet. One teacher gave her a Christmas tree - the only Christmas tree her home had as a child. .Ruth said that her business teacher, one of her favorites , was the one who influenced her to make secretarial teaching her career . In 1947 she graduated from High School as salutatorian .

The year, 1947, was indeed a turning point in her life. At this time she started as a student at GBS . Its amazing what you can find in a Bible School This was the year and place she found a fellow by the name of Gordon Phoebus. And you can guess what happened. This blossoming romance ending in their beautiful marriage. May 16, 1948

Starting at GBS, with her husband, her training for a life of service took place in several other times and places. In1951, Both Ruth and Gordon graduated with Bachelor of Arts degree. at the Free Methodist College in Greenville, Ill. .

It’s always interesting to follow the roads of providence. At this time, Gordon’s brother ,Sam, was ministering in Penn. the Susquehanna Conference of his church, At that time he located teaching positions for both Ruth and Gordon. The location was just south of the New York border only a few miles from Binghamton, NY. Through the influences of the Albert Green Family the Phoebuses came in contact with the Binghamton Pilgrim Holiness Church where Milton Pierpoint was pastor. This is where I first met Ruth and Gordon, over 60 years ago. Obviously they became involved in the teaching ministry of the Church

The Phoebuses lived in the Binghamton area for ten years, five of which were spent as managers of the facilities of Binghamton campground. The family will never forget this place. It was during this time that Wesley and Rebecca were born. The home never became the same.

In 1961, song evangelists , Max and Barbara Hamilton, encouraged the Phoebuses to go back to Frankfort, In. where they taught in the high school some time previous. In their 10 year period at this place, Gordon became principal of Frankfort. Incidentally, it was during these years at Frankfort that the Phoebuses met the Rundells who were teaching there and they became acquainted Pauline Karns (now Beirnes) who was dean of Women at the College. The Phoebuses and the Rundells became very close friends.

After having been in Indiana for nine years, on one eventful day the Phoebuses received a call from the Rundells who were teaching at Hobe Sound Bible College, encouraging them to come south as well, as there were openings for teachers here.

In the fall of 1970, Ruth and Gordon moved to Hobe Sound and Gordon became principal of the high school and Ruth started teaching again. Incidentally, it was that same fall that the Roscoe Wilsons and the Bud Hannolds came to Hobe Sound.

Ruth said, at first, it was not easy to adjust to tropical Hobe Sound with its humidity and mosquitoes. The mosquitoes were glad to get our fresh blood. We first lived on the camp ground, and in the place that we stayed in if there were any convinces they were not convenient. The roof leaked, the sink leaked soaking the kitchen floor. Because the kitchen was so small they had to put the refrigerator in the laundry room.

The class room where Ruth taught, had no door. There was no electrical outlets for a fan. I had to hold the blackboard up while fanning the mosquitoes and teach the kids to type on old manual typewriters, The chairs were on rollers and some of the rollers were missing. But guess what , after several years later this all changed – for the most part.

However, this was the place that God had called them to. And this was the place that Ruth poured out the rest of her life in service to others. Hobe Sound proved to be not so bad after all except for this fact, In 1972, because of health reasons, Gordon resigned as principle of the academy. He became a very sick man. He had 6 bypasses on his heart in 1983 And on May 24 1994 he passed away after many other hospital experiences.

For Ruth 27 years have gone by since she came to Hobe Sound. During part of this time a number of other changes took place. At the age of 70, her teaching years of secretarial classes came to an end. Her students became some of her best friends including Jacob Miller She started working as Medical Transcription clerk employed by one of her former students Brenda Olsen Hendershot

The next changed involved a second husband, Bill Price. It was not love at first sight, but feelings do change. After several meetings together, an attachment was growing, Bill said, “Ruth, God has told me that your are to be my second wife.” And you know, what God says has to go. . Later, Ruth said to herself and later to Bill “Is God , God is giving me a gift that I did not ask for. And you know the rest of the story I had the privilege of marrying them in our home Dec.9,2001

They had an 18 month honeymoon. But it ended. Sad to say, cancer took Bill life.. Ruth was holding his hand and crying when Bill left this world. Ruth wondered why God put this saint into her life for less than 2 years. Thy had a wonderful marriage She loved him very much. Why Lord Why? There are questions in life that will never be answered until we reach the shores of eternal bliss

Another unplanned event took place in Ruth's life. Ruth had no thought of marrying again, as she had already gone the sorrow of losing 2 husbands. But a number of her friends encouraged here that she really should meet some one else who could help fill the vacancy in her life. Someone who would care and provide for her. Who would that be? She noticed that she was being invited to various places where Jacob Miller had come to visit. Was this coincidental? In these visits they began talking, sharing their sorrow and hurts. Strangely enough an attachment seemed to be developing. On one occasion, the people at the dinner table held hands while the blessing was being asked. In holding her hand, Ruth said, that Jacob gave her a little extra squeeze when they finished praying. Jacob has done that many times sense.

Eventually, before too much time passed, their friendship blossomed into love. They both saw the light at the end of the tunnel. And again AS Paul Harvy would say, you know the rest of the story, They were married by Bro.French in his home, assisted by Ralph Finch Jan 7, 2005. Again, as mentioned before, Jacob, by the way, was one of her students at one time. They spent their first 5 months in Pinellas Park as Jacob finished his term as pastor.

There last move was coming back to Hobe Sound. They did do some traveling together, visiting various people and places.

As it was told to Ruth in the beginning, Jacob Miller , indeed became a loving, caring husband. Inf act, in these last few years I don’t know what she would have done without his help. Ruth took a turn for the worse and she had to be place in a nursing home. Jacob was there almost every day caring for his wife. When she was able, He would bring her to church for the Sunday morning service. Or for some special occasion.

Bro. Miller, We didn’t realize this, but last Sunday morning was to be her last time attending church. Thank you for bringing her for her last worship service.

And I want to say something else.. All 7 of Bro. Millers children are here to give their love and support to their dad. A very lovely family.

Monday morning , at 4:00 unexpectedly, Ruth went to another worship service. She went to Heaven. (at 85). Interestingly enough, during the night, they heard Ruth quoting verses of Scripture one verse after another. We have been missing Ruth our close friend.

In her writings she left this testimony,

What a privilege to have spent 25 years teaching in Bible Schools I loved my students. Truly, my lines have fallen in Pleasant places. But most of all, I thank Him for a wonderful Christian family and Christian friends that He has given me.

The reward of that final day may not all go to the great leaders of the Christian world, but, no doubt some will go to those humble servants who spent their lives in un-claimed service for their Master,. Ruth will be among this number. “She hath wrought a good work”

I am sure Ruth will be looking for all of her family and friends to join her around the throne. Lets not disappoint her lets us make it to the City what ever the cost.

GOD’S GUIDING HAND

In

MY LIFE

Ruth Phoebus Price Miller

My first remembrance is of crying when someone held me and my mother went to the alter to be saved in Troy Holiness Church. I was about four years old. I also remember seeing how the moon seemed to move along with us as we drove along. We, Mother and I, never had a car so we were always at someone’s mercy for a ride. We walked home from church many times down what proved to be lover’s lane. We were so scared and had a flashlight which did not always stay on. I had the same first grade teacher that my dad had. My dad left us when I was about two years old. About that time I began to suck my thumb – a habit which I continued for years. They were divorced when I was six. God provided so many “parents” for me even until after I was married. My mother worked at a WPA sewing room, walking through deep snow, sometimes wrapping her legs in newspapers. She had attended a Business College so was able to work as a secretary in the County Clerk’s office in the Court House. I spent many hours in the Court House, eating my lunch with Mother in the “ladies waiting room”. Payday meant braunswager(sp) and soft white bread and doughnuts. We would receive a baker’s dozen or 13 donuts. Sometimes the man in the meat market would give me a cold hot dog. My Dad had given me a watch, with a pretty blue stone in the stem, which was in constant need of repair. I would take it to the jeweler’s shop for an estimate. He would fix it instead and then act like he was going to throw it in the waste basket because I couldn’t pay but it ended up being free, I think. Was it my red hair or pity for a poor little girl?? I also stayed in an insurance office across the street from the Court House. The insurance man, Les Calvert, would do puzzles with me. The older lady who worked there let me take some old coins to school to show and somehow they disappeared. I felt so terrible about that. I really liked my 5th grade teacher, Miss Wilson, and would go to school early to be with her and help her. She gave me the class’ Christmas tree, my first and I believe the only one as a child. She brought it to my home. We lived by the C & A Depot at that time so I walked about a mile to school with Mother as she went to the Court House. We must have always been late. I remember we walked it in 15 minutes which seemed very fast and miserable when I had a pin sticking me and it scratched my leg every step. My 6th grade teacher and later the principal when I was in the 7th and 8th grades was my Mother’s closest friend. Peggy Beddow. She told my Mother when I did wrong things – She made me stay in 1 ½ hours for eating cinnamon candy on my birthday (she didn’t catch me – just smelled it on my breath when I went up to ask her a question.) When she told the man principal about it, I laughed because I was nervous and he said if I thought it was that funny he would add 2 ½ to it. I spent 4 hours with him in his office over the next few days. When I got home I had a baby Brownie camera from my Dad and I took many pictures with that. Peggy also made me stay in or write or something for running in our study hall. We were playing jacks in there during recess and the ball started rolling down this long slanting room so I ran to stop it. One time I told the class how long she had been dating Raymond Robertson. I think that was a sore issue. He was the fattest man in town and played the part of the town Santa Claus. In spite of these bad experiences, I felt I was the teacher’s pet in some classes. I was secretary to the Band Director in High School. He called me “Burksie” and showed me kindness like insisting I stand in the front row for the Glee Club picture even though the rest of the girls had anklets on and I knew I would ruin the picture. The music teacher in elementary bought me a tonette and gave me lessons. Later Daddy got me a clarinet and we went to band contests and clarinet quartet contests in Kirksville, Mo. And won high honors. Due to gas shortage during the World War II, we couldn’t go on to National Competition.

My business teacher, Mrs. Geraldine Moss, was my idol. I really don’t know why but I would do anything to have her approval and excelled in business subjects and that influenced me to make it my career. My Mother worked at Stark Bros. Nurseries, the largest in the world and oldest in America. I worked there in the summer. I typed long pages of labels from names they bought from other companies. 24 sheets a day for 2.40 a day. When minimum wage went to 3.20 a day they made us type 32. Then, because I was good, (they had given me some money for honors at graduation) they required I do more than the rest so I quit!!

Then off to God’s Bible School. St that time we were living in the Burks’ house on East Main about a couple blocks from the town square. My Grandpa Burks had built this big two-story house with four apartments. (Our pastors usually lived in one of the apartments, so I couldn’t be real bad!) My Dad fell out of the upstairs window when he was small. His mother was the town’s dressmaker and apparently too busy to watch him. He was also found asleep on the railroad track. When he was about 12 or 14 he went hunting with his friend on Christmas Day and got his gun tangled up in a barb wire fence and shot his right arm resulting in its removal 6” below the elbow. They thought he would die and bought a cemetery plot. He had a great sense of humor. He and a judge in B.G. (Bowling Green) who had lost his left arm would share a pair of gloves. He played a bass horn and directed the band and for many years worked for Caterpillar in Peoria, Ill in the “crib dept” handing out needed supplies to the workers. When my kids first noticed his missing hand, he told them that he burnt it off playing with matches. To others he said that he gave it to his boss for security on a loan and never got it back. He could hang storm windows, tie his shoes, etc. but had to take potatoes to the neighbor to be peeled after his wife died.

One of our neighbors was a professional gambler and hid his money in the stove pipe. He lived with his sisters and they built a fire and that was the end of the money!

Mother was a very pious, serious lady who had nothing in common with my Dad. They met on a blind date. For years when he would visit me after I was married she would buy groceries ahead and hibernate so she wouldn’t run into him. It wouldn’t have bothered him. When I graduated from Greenville College, I invited Mother to Baccalaureate because she was the religious one and Daddy to Graduation because I graduated with honors and I knew he would be proud of that. When we lived by the C&A Depot, bums (people who rode on top of freight trains or in open box cars) would come to our house and others nearby for a handout. They would make a chalk mark on the sidewalk in front of houses where they had gotten a good handout to inform the next bum. One day, one was swinging in my swing. Then when a man came one day, Mother said aren't you Jewel Kilgore?? And he said, Mam, Jewel Kilgore is who I am. He was her ex-brother-in-law. We also had birds get in a spare room in this house. Mother was very superstitious, thinking you might die if one lit on your shoulder so she thought I was ready to die (she always doubted about herself) so I had to run through the room and open the door and let the bird out. Also baby birds would drop out of their nests and fall on our porch and she made me get rid of the little naked things. Gross! Mother always looked under the bed to see If there was a man there. There never was!

I got the yardstick broken on me when I would let the dried beans burn (stinks horrible) or didn’t clean while she was at work, etc. But she really leaned on me a lot thus it was very hard for her to accept my going to Bible School and later marrying. She would send me to the neighbors (a black family who owned our house – a school principal) to borrow their phone and order a half ton of furnace coal. She seemed to be afraid to call. Mother did a wonderful job of giving me a Godly heritage and I just relate these for human interest.

Mother worked for many years in Ben Franklin and other dime stores and won prizes for selling the most. Years later, she won a lot of nice prizes for selling the most Westinghouse light bulbs in Northeast U.S.

I did bad things like stealing Sunday School money (Mother was the sec-treas). I had to confess when she tried to balance the books. I also cut bangs and hid the hair in the corner of the closet and she thought it was a mouse. I pretended that I was smoking on the way to Troy Camp. I wonder if the driver could see me in his mirror. I thought that if Mother died I could go live with my Aunt Peggy (Daddy’s sister-in-law) and wear shorts. (I wasn’t wishing her dead, as this might sound.) I was the only grandchild on the Burks side and Aunt Peggy got me what I asked for at Christmas. Also, Mother had a good friend, Jewel Hume, who gave me her daughter’s outgrown clothes and every Christmas I would get a new purse with money tied in the corner of a hanky. They had money but the father shot himself on Christmas Day in front of his daughter.

In High School, I was nominated for Town Queen. Our pictures were placed in a store window until the voting. A Catholic girl won. We thought it was because everyone from St. Clemons had to vote for her. Someone in my Holiness church didn’t think it looked good for me to be running anyway. To make matters worse, I wrote the church news for the Bowling Green Times so people knew where I went to church. The merchants nominated us so I had nothing to do with it and was quite surprised to find my picture in the window. Which reminds me that Mother thought I was such a beautiful baby that I would win the baby contest but she didn’t think she should enter me. See what stardom I might have missed out on.

During the Depression I ate so much free food that I got sick – a lot of beets and dried beef. The WPA (We Poke Along) men were working on the road in front of my house and I made mud pies and “sold” them.

We had a CCC camp in Bowling Green and the fellows came to our church and the older girls loved that. I remember Pearl Harbor. It must have been on Sunday. I remember thinking that if Hitler came to our church we would just all get down and pray for him and that would take care of it. One of our “saints” was Sis. Harlow. She always wore her shoes on the wrong feet. Finally, Lillian Schaper got the courage to tell her and she said that she knew it but they were more comfortable that way!

We had ice men and milk men and they would give us little chunks of ice and we would mix milk, sugar, vanilla, and ice and shake for a delicious drink. You put a card in your window with a number up telling them how much you wanted. I don’t think we had an icebox as I remember having to take jello to a neighbors’ to set.

Lillian Schaper, my Sunday School teacher who taught me the scripture by alphabet which I have continued to use to this day and through my teaching days, gave me free piano lessons. Unfortunately, she lived right across from the High School and I was more interested in getting them over with by the time Duane Carlisle finished basketball practice so we could walk home together. She had a pencil that was about a yard long and kept hitting the right note when I couldn’t think where it was. Thus, I am seldom!!! asked to play the piano.

There were also little candy stores very close to school and home – maybe that is where I got my “fat cells”. When I stole the money for the candy and the sun went under a cloud I got scared and put it back. When the sun came out, I went to the store.

One time I stole a penny from my neighbors. Later when I was sick Mother asked if I had anything to confess and when I told her, she made me give back four-fold plus=a nickel. I had felt so guilty I had given the candy to the neighbor kids that I stole from. I have been extremely honest since I grew up.

I have written before about how much conviction I was under before getting saved when I was 13. At Camp meeting I would turn my head if I saw someone coming my way so they would have to tap me to get my attention and invite me to the altar. I knew I would go if I were asked. I was about the only Holiness girl for most of my school years. I was pretty well accepted in spite of my long hose, etc. Of course, I rolled them down a lot. When my teacher asked me if my Mother wanted me to do that, I said Yes. Other times I stuffed most of them in my shoe and just turned the tops down. No pantyhose in those days, or leotards. I wore supporters and lost one once and a boy was holding it up on the playground asking who it belonged to. Who but me. My kids wore anklets!!

This about brings me up to dating days so I’ll end this chapter.

Note: Thought you might want to read the preview of Chap.1 of my forthcoming book. Now, I need to find a publisher!!

I think I liked a different boy in every grade beginning with Roy Besterfelt in the first grade. He gave me a ring. I never went to a show so there was little I could do with the boys. We had a great basketball team and for some reason I had been asked to talk at the Pep Rally before going to a tournament in Mexico, Mo. And I wasn't even permitted to go. The kids signed a petition to my Mother and amazingly I got to go. We had short but fast kids at least compared to the King boys 6’6” and 6’7”. Years later after I was married while attending Greenville College our team played Hannibal-LaGrange and there was my old classmate-Orland Fitzsimmons. The one I had to write about 200 times “I must not talk to Orland Fitzsimmons in class.” With two pencils positioned just right it takes only half as long. Shame!

One time during World War II, I wrote my Dad that I liked this boy, Otto Edmund, who had dark red and brown eyes like I did. He wrote back that he didn’t approve because that name sounded German.

I met Gordon at Troy Camp in ’47. He had just returned from being injured in the War. He took me out for ice cream so I guess I thought he was mine. I remember I was writing him and felt pretty bad when I heard he had gone to Independence Camp and taken a carload of girls to the Zoo.

I had planned on going to Greenville College but Mother lost her job so I had to go to GBS where I could be a full work student.

I especially didn’t want to go there because Gordon was going there and I was “Miffed” at him. He said he came to Bowling Green looking for me to take me to school with him. I had already gone on the bus.

By the time he got there (work students had to come two weeks early) I was running around with Ernie Taylor. Irene Pruitt asked Gordon where his girl was and he said, “Taylor has got her and gone.” And she said “Where’s Taylor”. She really gave me a “talking to” and I agreed to talk to Gordon and told him just what I thought of him! We went to White Castle for 15 cent hamburgers. Someway we got over that first hump and didn’t have any more squabbles. On Sept. 25 he asked me how I would like to be a minister’s wife. I didn’t feel that was a real proposal so on Oct. 3 he did it right and I accepted. Considering dating rules there – that was fast work!!

Since work students have to work all summer if they go both semesters but are even if they quit in January, I transferred to Kansas City College in January. (This is when I roomed with Helen Porter Barr). I was homesick or something so dropped out and they gave me all my money back and I went home and we were married in May. Gordon had had to drop out also due to surgery to remove shrapnel from his shoulder.

We lived with his folks in Canton, Ill that summer and returned to GBS but due to trouble going on at GBS we decided to go to Kansas City. The GI Bill would not pay because Gordon tested to be a social worker and K.C. didn’t offer courses they approved of so we finally graduated from Greenville College.

Our apartment life was not the greatest. In the first one, we shared the bathroom (a pass thru bath) with a couple older ladies and they would either go in there and lock the door and forget to unlock it as they left or they wouldn’t lock it and we would run in on them. It was the only way out of our one room.

The next apartment was an attic apartment and the candles melted and records warped. Due to the heat, the owner fixed a room downstairs for us to sleep in.

Dr. Quail tried to recommend me for a job at Seattle Pacific College. Boy, am I glad that didn’t work out. They had lots of men with doctor’s degrees. Sam was able to get Gordon and me jobs in high school about 5 miles apart. I guess I am a quitter. They loaded me down with seven classes - business law which I had never had – coach girl’s basketball – I had never played (which was pretty ridiculous but Pa. law said it had to be a woman) and put on the junior play. I came home trembling. Gordon called them and said if they didn’t lighten my load I was quitting so God opened a super job at a bank near our home. A neighbor friend was praying about my situation and God led her to go across the street and ask the bank if they could use me. I worked there for about three years until just before Wesley was born. They were so good to me. Gave me $100 even after I left there. Now to the Binghamton camp Ground with our kids.

Life on the camp ground was very quiet. Wesley was a very good baby, after the first two months. Then Becky came to join us. She was born Cesarean due to placenta preview so that was a little exciting. Wesley cried for two months. Becky did not cry and the doctor said to wake her up and let her cry a while before feeding her to exercise her lungs. Gordon worked at a large hardware store and later at Links Aviation about a block from the camp ground. We had met the Hamilton's and Barb’s brother-in-law was president of Frankfort so they got us jobs in Ind. We wanted God’s will of course and had had no thought of going back to teaching. Gordon went to work and they said they were going to cut back and it would catch him so he thought he had better go to Frankfort and check it out. As far as we know, they never did lay off but God got us where were very happy for about ten years. Then the call to come to Hobe Sound and here I have been for over 27 years. The next call will probably be for Heaven and Gordon has already made that move and I will forever miss him as such a wonderful husband who was liked by so many. (When we were dating at GBS, someone told me that he was pure gold.). My deepest desire is to have an unbroken circle of all of our family around our Saviour’s throne.

While at Frankfort, Gordon attended Purdue University and received his Master’s Degree and a Specialist Degree (half way to a Doctorate). This was perfect timing as about the same week he became qualified to be a high school principal, the principal at Frankfort resigned and Gordon replaced Bro. Mohl.

We lived several years on the campground/campus and then my Dad helped us get a nice home on North Main, bordering the Country Club golf course.

We had just put a new roof on and painted throughout the house when we got a call to come to Hobe Sound. Our house sold fast and Gordon became the principal at H.S. and I taught part time. Finances were really tight so I dropped out the second year and worked as bookkeeper for Leonard Bell, who sold mobile homes and gave nearly everything to missions. One year of that then back to the classroom. I guess I quit being a quitter as I stuck with that (high school and then college) for over twenty years. (One time after I quit Bro. Bell, he shook hands with me at church and left $100 bill in my hand.)

I consider my former students my best friends. As I have aged, I have had to call on them for help – something I would never have envisioned twenty years ago! Gordon’s pallbearers were all his former students. Teaching in Christian schools is so rewarding!!! I praise God for guiding us in this direction.

It was not easy to adjust to tropical Hobe Sound with its humidity and mosquitoes. The mosquitoes were glad to get our fresh blood. (They don’t bother you as much as the years go on). The lizards and cockroaches were enough to make anyone homesick. When we would hear the train (we lived close to the tracks) my kids and I wished we were on it, headed North. The president of Frankfort heard I was homesick and called offering us our jobs back and help in finding a home. Of course, Gordon, who acted like this was just o.k., turned him down. You could see the stars through the roof of our first house.

Becky’s bedroom had no door so you could look right in as soon as you opened the front door. The sink leaked, soaking my iron cord and things under it. The kitchen was super small. The dining room only a little larger so we had to put the refrigerator in the laundry room.

My classroom had no door or electrical outlets for a fan. I had to hold the blackboard up, fan the mosquitos and teach these kids to type on old manual typewriters. The chairs were on rollers and some rollers were missing causing them to tilt this way and that. Finally, I got carpet, computers, and air conditioning (20 years later).

Hobe Sound was such a dinky little town with one little grocery store with high prices, catering to the millionaires on nearby Jupiter Island. So we had to go to Jupiter to shop.

The only bright spots were Jean’s Fabric Shop and Sunday dinner at school with Mrs. Lucas’ light rolls. It was just living from Sunday to Sunday that was hard!

Ruth’s Life Story Continued – 6/25/2006

Nine years later my granddaughter, Jody, read my life story and asked me to continue it.

Where do I begin!! Gordon passed away after many hospital experiences (it became our second home and the nurses loved him). He passed away while I was talking to him in his hospital room. 5/24/94

That summer I got an invitation to visit Binghamton, N.Y. Before I got unpacked I got asked to teach again. This helped me put my life back together. When I was 70 I signed my “do not intend to return” form. I already had a second job doing medical transcription work for an oncologist under one of my former students, Brenda Olsen Hendershot. She was so patient teaching me everything and laughing at my mistakes before they got to the Dr., such as typing “cat skins” instead of “cat scans”. Of course, spell check did not catch it. Later when my second husband had that Dr. I confessed and he thought it was funny and said he wanted Bill to have some cat skins.

And that brings me up to my second husband, Bill Price. I had had his daughter, Sandy, in my college typing class and later when she came back to Hobe Sound and we were both widows we were together. Then after her trip to Bolivia, etc., etc., she appears again with this handsome man that I assumed was her husband. (she had married an older man before). It was her Dad, who had recently lost his first wife, Ruth #1. It wasn’t love at first sight. He looked like a ‘grouch’ and I thought he was with someone else and thought “she can have him!!” In reality he was so sweet that I found I couldn’t resist him and we had a very short courtship as far as days were concerned, but not hours! He felt that God told him to claim Ruth Phoebus as his wife. I felt that God told me that He was giving me a wonderful gift that I did not ask for. I became his second Ruth on Dec. 9, 2001, the day after Jody and Matt’s wedding. He was not a grouch at all – but a super sweet, humble, funny and handsome man – always putting everyone else ahead of himself. Brenda let me off to date, and felt that I probably would not come back to work. We were married in Pierpoint’s home on Dec. 9/01, the day after Jody and Matt were married. We had an 18-month honeymoon. Prostate cancer took him fast. His favorite song was “lily of the Valley”. Loretta had run off a copy for me, which was near his bed in the living room. Hospice had taken over, but fortunately we had a Christian nurse, Beverly Barr, who had been a missionary in New Guinea, as had Ruth & Bill. As she sang that song and the verse that says “then sweeping up to Glory, I’ll see His blessed face” – he was gone. She said there was Glory all over his face and said there was no doubt where he was. I was holding his hand and crying so hard that I missed it. The funeral was here in Hobe Sound. I kissed his cold face many times. The family drove ten hours to have the service where he was buried by Ruth #1 near Florala. They said that four white doves, never seen in that area before, kept circling the grave site and going back up in the tree over and over. My friend, who thought the funeral was so sweet, said ‘it just keeps getting better and better”.

Why did God put this saint in my life for less than two years? I can only imagine what he is enjoying now. I loved him very much. We had a perfect second marriage and I think everyone realized it. One faculty member who had known him for years said that our marriage was made in Heaven! Now I have two wonderful husbands in Heaven and I must make it. God is helping me cope. I have much pan am going to have my right hip replaced.

Another surprise!! After having my hip replaced I tried several volunteer positions and nothing worked out. Guess why!!! God had a third wonderful husband for me – see attached love story.

Dear Lord – please let us have many happy years together serving you. At this writing we are both 77.

AFTER-THOTS

When I had measles, scarlet fever, chicken box, I was bout the third grade and had to stay alone. My mother could not miss work. We “rigged” up some kind of a rope and bell to the nearest neighbor and I could ring that if I needed help.

During the summer, I would go to different neighbors and ask if I could spend the day with them. I don’t remember ever being “turned down”. Aunt Byrd Morris let me stay with her there so very many times. She was a seamstress. Her brother had some kind of an intercom hooked up to his house next door and we would talk on that. She would go out and wring the head off a chicken and we would have chicken for lunch. Also remember standing under the Concord grape arbor and eating grapes.

In the 5th grade at the beginning of the six weeks the teacher put our names on the blackboard with a conduct grade of 100 by each. This went down one point when you were caught talking, etc. I had a 98. She said I talked. I guess I denied it. She had put me down to 97 but (I) made an 8 out of the 7. That lie haunted me every time I looked at it.

In High School Typing we had to type a full page, double spaced without an error. It was so frustrating, especially if you made an error near the end. If I typed a “t” when it should have been something else, I typed the word “the” and told myself that that was a word. The teacher did not have time to read these for context, but could catch a misspelled word in a minute. This affected my good grades which made me Salutatorian, so a confession was needed. This was after Graduation, and honors and awards of money. I wrote the teacher a letter and she told me that someday I would be a teacher and could warn my students to be honest. My own children say that they heard so many of my stories, they were not even tempted to cheat in school. The teacher relieved my mind by saying that I was far enough ahead of the next student that I would have been Salutatorian anyway.

Back in these Depression Days, you were allowed to bring whatever you could afford to pay for school lunches. I spent part of whatever Mother gave me. What a mess to straighten out later. God seemed to bring a certain amount of money to my mind and I sent it to “whoever” to straighten that out. Can’t the Devil get you into messes!!! Now I am soooo super conscientious that my family has made fun of me when we got 13 Valentines in a package that said there were 12. “Now, Mom, what are you going to do about this” I can still hear them say. I have made some probably unnecessary restitutions, BUT at least the Devil can’t torment me with them, if it is him.

Another time – As we were moving from KCCBS between semesters and taking our exams, I finished early and just glanced at my husband’s paper (I got better grades than he did, so I wasn’t really copying) and thot that is the right answer and I don’t remember putting that down, so hurriedly changed mine. As soon as we got to Greenville, before they could send my transcripts I fired off a letter to them about this.

After God gave and took two wonderful husbands, I am now training to work in the Medical Records of Martin Memorial Medical Center right here in Hobe Sound.

My biggest blessing, aside from salvation, is that I feel so contented – have no desire for the better things of life – have never had expensive stuff and never needed it. Fortunately, my $18,000 house keeps going up in value.

RUTH AND JACOB’S LOVE STORY

It was graduation 2004 and I was surprised to be invited to Cynthia Palacios’ son’s graduation party. (I did not even know his name.) When I told her that I really didn’t feel like attending, she said “What about having breakfast with us Monday at 9 a.m. and gave me directions to their home. I still did not feel up to it and THEN I heard Mr. Palacios mention to someone that he had to hurry home because Jacob miller was spending the weekend with them. Of course, I sort of wondered if that had anything to do with my invitation, but thought little about it until a month or so later Sandy Barr called and asked me if I was dating anyone, interested in anyone, etc. Of course, I told her that I wasn’t and asked why she was asking such a thing.

I found out that Jacob had met Albert and Sandy (who he didn’t know) and told them that someone was trying to “fix him up” with Ruth Phoebus!! Sandy replied that I was very nice and would be nice to his children and said “You know that she married my Dad!!” Well, of course, he had been living on the west coast and did not know it and was embarrassed about the whole thing. (Elma and Bill passed away the same week.)

Then the “last straw” was when I was at Wilson’s during a hurricane and Stetlers had taken the students to Camp Freedom, Joan called me at Wilson’s and said that she had something to confess – she had seen Jacob and said “I hear y ou have an interest in Hobe Sound” and he said “Oh yes, my grandchildren” and Joan said “that isn’t exactly what I meant” and about that time someone interrupted the conversation.

I knew that he must know that I knew about the rumors and so I asked Cynthia if she would tell him that I thought he was a wonderful person but I was never going to get my heart broken again. She replied that she seldom talked to him sooooo I thought I would have to take “it” in my own hands.

When he said “he might SLIP OVER to Hobe Sound in the NEAR FUTURE, that set off an alarm in my head and I decided to write the enclosed letter suggesting that with the price of gas, a phone card from Sam’s would be a better idea and we could just “talk over our sorrows!!” IT DIDN”T WORK - - HE CAME!!

Was that the time we had a nine-hour date???? I am not sure!! His niece was so kind to stay with a friend so he could stsay all night in her mobile home—more than once.

I told Joan that I was not going to feed him as I couldn’t talk and cook and we needed to TALK!! She persuaded me to fix a meal or so for him and she would help me. She and Cynthia were definitely behind all of this. I told him that we always held hands when we asked the blessing and he gave me an extra little squeeze when we finished praying (and still does!)

I assured him that I was a “basket case” (having had a hip replacement, much pain and sorrow from the death of two husbands, etc.) and that after the years he had had a sick wife (Alzeheimers) he didn’t need ME! He had already told Cynthia that anyone his age would be a “basket case”. Cynthia had been trying to help him find a “new love” and went down a list of “eligible” and when she mentioned me “a light came on”!! He said that I was a nice lady and wondered how old I was. (Of course, Cynthia asked me and I couldn’t figure out why she just asked me and kept on walking!!)

I was totally confused as to my feelings, even tho I did give him a hug after that nine-hour date!! The next morning as I was having my devotions, sitting in my recliner and thinking of him as he sat on the sofa the night before, the thought came so forcefully—that just seemed “so right!” He said that when I told him that, he saw light at the end of the tunnel.

He promised to wait until June to get married but someway it ended up being January 7 in Bro. Bob French’s home and the rest if history!!

We spent our first five months in Pinellas Park as Jacob finished his term as pastor. He had already told them of his final date before I was involved!!!

As I write this, we have made our last move to Hobe Sound and are getting settled between going to graduations, a beautiful garden wedding, etc. and will soon be going to Atlanta to Becky and Steve’s and back to PA to the God’s Missionary Church Conference.

TO BE CONTINUED