Ruth Elinor Jobes

Ruth Elinor Jobes, 90, of Collierville, TN, passed away on January 11, 2024. She was born on September 8, 1933, in Everett, WA, to Orlando Howell and Frances Jennings Howell. Ruth was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Charles Jobes.

Ruth was a loving mother of two, Christopher Jobes (Debbie) and Laurie Flynn. She was also a cherished grandmother to Amber Martin (Matt), Derek Jobes, Christian Jobes (Kaylee), Angela Garner (Tyler), Kayla Flynn, and great-granddaughter Coraline Martin.

Ruth's life was marked by her strong faith and devotion to her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. From her early teens, Ruth felt called to be a missionary and she followed that calling throughout her life. While attending Bob Jones University she worked as a lifeguard at LeTourneau Christian Camp where she met her husband. After obtaining her master’s from Eastman School of Music they got married and she taught instrumental music first in Rush-Henrietta and then for three years in Lancaster, NY, while he was attending Buffalo Bible Institute.

Their mission work took her to Aruba, where she did the scheduling and programming for TEAM's Radio Victoria, where she continued to serve even after the accidental death of her husband. Since she continued to feel the call to be a missionary, she asked to be reassigned to a new mission field where she served as a music teacher, band and orchestra director, and eventually chair of the Chinese Department at Morrison Academy in Taichung, Taiwan. After her retirement, she returned from the mission field to live in Collierville with her daughter and attended Central Church. Ruth's passion for music was evident throughout her life. She played the viola and piano, and she also taught music lessons throughout much of her retirement. She found joy in reading and imparting her knowledge to others.

A ceremony to celebrate Ruth's life will be held at Central Church, located at 2005 E. Winchester Blvd, Collierville, TN, at 2 PM. Friends and family are invited to attend and pay their respects and celebrate her life.

Ruth Elinor Jobes will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her. Her legacy of faith, dedication, and love will continue to inspire those whose lives she touched. There is, however, a great sense of joy that she has finished her race and is in the presence of the Lord Whom she served faithfully for so many decades and has been reunited with her husband and a host of other heroes of the faith who have gone on before. She has received that welcome from Christ that many of us who remain long to hear someday: "Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord."