Annie Ruth was born in Birmingham, AL on June 3, 1930, to G.W. Wilson and Eunice Kennedy Wilson (Ham). She had one older sister, Betty Jo. Annie Ruth was quite bright and ahead of the times for women and education. She attended a special class for advanced students during grammar school. Subsequently, she attended Judson College in Marion, AL on a scholarship and graduated in 1951 on the Dean’s List with a BA. Shortly thereafter, she married Bernard Collins DeLoach, Jr. and they moved to Columbus, Ohio so “Barney” could obtain his PhD in Theoretical Physics from The Ohio State University. Following graduation, they moved to Red Bank, NJ and had two children: Linda Louise and Bernard Collins DeLoach III. In 1963, they moved to New Providence, NJ and stayed there until Barney retired from Bell Labs at the age of 59. They then moved to Florida and eventually resided at John Knox Village where Annie Ruth spent the last 2.5 years of her life in Majestic Oaks Nursing Home.
Annie Ruth was a devout Christian, attending several churches including First Baptist Church of Alabama (where she met her husband), Christ Church in Summit, NJ, where she became a church deacon, and Tuskawilla Presbyterian Church in Oviedo, FL, where she was responsible for greeting new members and worked in the library. Annie Ruth also held multiple volunteer positions. For example, she was the editor of her college newspaper – The Triangle; elected to the Directorship of the League of Women Voters of New Jersey; and sat on the advisory board of the Youth Service Bureau. After the kids went off to college, she worked for 15 years as the Assistant to the Director of the Board of Education of Summit, NJ.
Annie Ruth belonged to the Turkey Town Travelers – a NJ group that went camping once a month in the summers. She was an avid Orlando Magic basketball fan. She also collected stuffed pigs and loved all things Winnie-the-Pooh.
Annie Ruth was pre-deceased by her parents, her sister, Betty Jo, and her son, Bernard Collins DeLoach III. She is survived by her husband of 72 years, Bernard Collins DeLoach Jr., her daughter and son-in-law, Linda and Kevin Weaver; her daughter-in-law Ginny DeLoach; two grandchildren, Adam (and his wife Alayna) and Sarah; her sister-in-law, Beca DeLoach; and numerous nieces and nephews. An outdoor memorial service will be held at John Knox Village in Orange City, FL – at Valencia Landing pool deck on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at 1PM. Cake will be served. Bring your fond memories and stories. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of Annie Ruth http://alz.org.
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