Ruth Guffey Holt

Ruth Guffey Holt was born on February 12, 1936 in Centerville, Tennessee. She was the fifth child and the only daughter of Wade Hayes Guffey and Ruth Tallent Guffey, both of Andrews, North Carolina. She graduated as the salutatorian (second to the valedictorian) from Englewood High School in Tennessee. Although she never received a college degree and often reminded others that she came from poverty and lived through part of the Great Depression, she became an excellent steward of what she had been blessed with and she exhibited compassion and kindness to others.

She married Marion Mabry Holt of Etowah, Tennessee on August 10th 1954 and they remained married for almost 47 years until Mabry’s death in May 2001. She also served as the Assistant Librarian at Homewood High School and as the Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the School of Education at Samford University for many years. She was currently a member of Lakeside Baptist Church where her husband Mabry served as the Music Minister for many years. She had a passion for singing at church, helping her husband with church choirs and church choir tours, graciously hosting home-cooked meals, laughing, growing beautiful green house plants, and studying the Bible and Bible Prophecy. She particularly enjoyed the Bible studies by Chuck Missler on YouTube.

She exhibited many of the traits of the Proverbs 31 model woman. “Strength and honor are her clothing and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up and call her blessed: her husband also and he praiseth her” (Proverbs 31:25-28, KJV).

“Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised” (Proverbs 31:30, KJV). Even though she so beautifully reflected the Proverbs 31 woman, she would not want to receive any of the praise or honor for herself and as she was dying she requested that only God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit be praised. She would want any one who does not already know the love of Christ to discover and accept his gift of salvation today and for all to be ready to enter eternity. After a life defined by loving, supportive relationships and watchcare over her family, Ruth left this world on September 3, 2026 at the age of 90 years old, leaving behind precious memories and a spiritual legacy for her loved ones. The beliefs reflected in the song “No More Night” by David Phelps are what Ruth would have wanted us to emphasize over the darkness of the evil in the world. Yet, she still spoke out with the strength of the Holy Spirit against those things that have become inverted in the world today, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness, and bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21, KJV).

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband as well as her honored biological parents and also her honored second set of adoptive parents, Fred Anderson Barnett and Willie Vester Wilson Barnett of Englewood, Tennessee. Additionally, her four older brothers, Thomas Frank Guffey Sr of Andrews, NC, Howard Taft Guffey of Englewood, TN, Elton Eugene Guffey (Gene) of Murphy, NC and Haldeman Wade Guffey of Greenville, SC have been reunited with their beloved sister.

Ruth was survived by her three children Brian Craig Holt (Jill), Matthew Scott Holt (Heather) and Melinda Holt Ward (David) all of Birmingham, AL. She also was blessed with five wonderful grandchildren: Hannah Kidd (Bradley) of Brookhaven, GA, Mitchell Holt (Savannah) of Homewood, AL, Nathan Holt (Jennifer) of Harvest, AL, Kathryn Holt of Birmingham, AL and David Ward III of Birmingham, AL. Her blessings multiplied with five wonderful great-grandchildren: Jack Holt of Homewood, AL, Cooper Kidd of Brookhaven, GA, Charles Holt of Homewood, AL, Wyatt Kidd of Brookhaven, GA and Ella Rose Holt of Harvest, AL.

The private graveside service will be at Southern Heritage Cemetery in Pelham, Alabama. The officiating minister will be Rev. Chris Diffey of Lakeside Baptist Church, and pallbearers will be Craig Holt, Mitchell Holt, Nathan Holt and Bradley Kidd. Honorary pallbearers will be Scott Holt, David Ward Jr., and David Ward III.

Plans for a public visitation at Lakeside Baptist Church, Birmingham, will be announced soon.