W. Ruth Stockman, 103, a longtime resident of Oakland, Md., passed peacefully on Tuesday Oct. 27, 2020 at Garrett County Memorial Hospital.
The youngest child of Arthur Oren and Mary Etta (Guthrie) VanSickle, Ruth was born on Sept. 12, 1917, in Terra Alta.
During her teen years, Ruth kept busy selling Avon products door to door, helping out at Highland Cottage, beginning work at the D&M Store and was a member of the Terra Alta High School Glee Club and band graduating in 1937. After work in local retail, Ruth moved and began work/school at Morgantown Business College until she returned to Preston County after being offered a position at The Terra Alta Bank. This position began her working career in banking.
Ruth and Paul married in 1962 and made their home in Oakland spending the winter months in Florida. They soon caught the travel bug and enjoyed domestic travel, then on to adventures in Europe and the Middle East.
Ruth was a member of First United Methodist Church in Terra Alta and enjoyed the choir there and at Riviera UMC during her time in St. Petersburg. She was also a longtime member of the Order of the Eastern Star Oakland Chapter 67 and the Preston County Historical Society. Ruth was an avid genealogist, traveling miles and spending many hours tracing VanSickle family roots. The last four years Ruth spent recalling her long life while residing at Cherry Hill Assisted Living in Accident, Md.
One of the highlights of Ruth’s later years was the 100th birthday party held in her honor at Alpine Lake surrounded by family and friends travelling from several states and Germany to celebrate her life. It couldn’t have been a better day. Ruth enjoyed family time and family always looked forward to vacation time with “Auntie.”
She will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by many, including her surviving nephew, David (Beverly) VanSickle, of Solomons, Md.; two nieces, Rebecca Eiss, of Jefferson, Ga., and Mary Whitley, of Solomons, Md.; 16 grand-nieces and grand-nephews; several young nieces and nephews representing the fifth generation; and special friends, Bob and Leanna Boal, of Oakland, Md.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Edward Paul Stockman, in 1978; a brother, David Guthrie VanSickle; and a sister, Evelyn Beth Rhodes.
Family and friends will be received at the Arthur H. Wright Funeral Home in Terra Alta from 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 30 until the 11 a.m. service time with the Rev. T. Patrick Kerr officiating. Ruth will be laid to rest at the Shady Grove Cemetery near Brandonville.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Ruth’s memory to the First United Methodist Church in Terra Alta or Warm the Children, P.O. Box 326, Oakland, MD 21550.
Condolences:
www.arthurwrightfuneralhome.com
