Ruth Hoffecker Warfield

Ruth Catherine Hoffecker was born in Philadelphia, PA on December 5, 1925. She was one of nine children of Nathaniel Hoffecker and Elizabeth (Lake) Hoffecker. As a child growing up during the Great Depression, she was forced to endure many challenges. She suffered with Rheumatic Fever and had to repeat 1st grade due to missed class time.

The Great Depression gave way to WW II, and to further hardships as all six of her brothers served in various theatres of the war. The family was shaken by the news that her brother Bob had been KIA during the Battle of the Bulge.

Despite the trying circumstances, Ruth enjoyed her time as a proud member of the Yeadon High School Class of ‘45. She made Varsity for both the Field Hockey and Basketball teams in just her Sophomore Year. She was also a Cheerleader, a member of the Dramatic Club and Class Treasurer. On May 11, 1947 in Baltimore MD, she married Samuel Clemens Warfield. Shortly after being Honorably Discharged from the Marine Corps in October of 1947, he joined the B&O Railroad and began a career that would span 33 years. Together, they enjoyed many activities such as Cards, Golf, Bowling and Fishing. They loved trips to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Mrytle Beach, SC – so much so that they hosted large family reunions there in the late 1960s. During their many happy years together they had 5 children to whom she was a devoted mother – Ron, Linda, Sandy, Bruce and Robert.

After the death of her husband in 1982, Ruth continued to travel and visit her children and grandchildren. Her hobbies included Crossword Puzzles, Coin Collecting and Stamp Collecting. She had an interest in the history of Lighthouses and decorated her room in that motif. She was so fond of the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” that she acquired related memorabilia and proudly displayed it during the Christmas Season. Throughout her life, she remained an avid sports fan – she always preferred the unscripted stories of competition over regular TV fare. In her later years, she gravitated to watching mostly women’s sports as it reminded her of her days in High School.

She is survived by her 5 children, her 14 grandchildren, 24 great grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren.

A visitation will be held Sunday, February 7, from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 St. Mary’s Street, Raleigh. A public graveside service will follow the visitation, at 1:00 pm at Raleigh Memorial Park.

Condolences may be made through brownwynne.com.