Ruth Ellen Lewis

Ruth Ellen Lewis, 55, of Kingsport, TN, passed away peacefully early Saturday morning, November 30th, 2024, at home while surrounded by loved ones. Ruth was born on December 27th, 1968 in Kingsport, TN, to Herbert and Mary Lewis, the seventh of their ten children. She was a beloved daughter, a great sister, and a wonderful mother and Mimi.

Her funeral will be held at Port City Church, 2601 E Center Street, Kingsport, TN, on Thursday, December 5th. Receiving friends will begin that afternoon at 5:00, and the service will start at 7:00. The graveside service will be Friday, December 6th, at East Lawn Funeral Home, 4997 Memorial Blvd, Kingsport, TN, at noon.

She is survived by her mother, five brothers, four sisters, two children, three bonus children, and five grandchildren.

Ruth’s earliest ambitions in life lead her to the University of Tennessee to study engineering after graduating from Dobyns Bennett High School, but she changed paths along the way, going back home to ETSU to complete a bachelor’s degree in finance. Although she once pursued a master’s degree in accounting from ETSU to further her education, those efforts were put on hold when she and her first husband started their family, and she found her second calling in life: being a mother. She spent many years working as a real estate appraiser in Kingsport, TN at Bailey & Associates, but would later step out on her own as a freelance appraiser under her married name, “Price Appraisals”. As a self-employed appraiser, she was able to work from her home office (when she wasn’t traveling the area completing real estate appraisals), giving her the flexibility to care for her two children Calvin & Whitney. When her first marriage ended in divorce in 2010, it was only shortly thereafter that Ruth made a career change. She began working as a patient-health-coordinator for State of Franklin Walk-In Clinic in Johnson City, where she remained employed for the next 14 years, even through her cancer diagnosis and treatment. Although her field of professional work had changed course, her calling as a mother did not falter. In her second marriage, she became a step-mother to her second husband’s five children and a Mimi to their children. Ruth’s second marriage ended just months before her cancer diagnosis in 2020 when she was left by her second husband. Even in the midst of heartbreak, however, she refused to let his children (now grown adults) be alone. Over the past four years, she continued to show up for them as both Mom and Mimi.

Even when life was hard, Ruth was relentless in her quest to bring joy to her home. Her dining room table was often covered in jigsaw puzzles. Her kitchen cabinets were stuffed with eclectic coffee mugs. Her walls were filled with rustic paintings and Bible verses. More often than not, her TV was playing a Hallmark movie. The air was filled with the scent of spiced apple candles and the sounds of her soft singing. She was always ready to welcome people into her home, and into her heart.

In the end, Ruth would say that her greatest honor in life was being a Mom and Mimi. When asked what she loved the most, Ruth simply said, “My kids, grandkids, and Jesus.” She will be remembered for her love for her family, her steadfast faith, and her relentless heart.