Ruth Gage Burns

Ruth Gage Burns of Flint, Michigan passed away surrounded by her loving family at the age of 90. Ruth was born November 21, 1932 in Bessemer, Michigan, where as a “Yooper,” she had fond memories of snowy winters and her grandmother’s cherry pies. She left Bessemer in 1950 as the only woman in her class to attend the University of Michigan, which was the start of her life-long love of the Michigan Wolverines. Ruth obtained her Bachelor of Arts from the College of Literature, Science and Arts, along with her Teacher’s Certificate from the College of Education. After graduating, she dove straight into teaching, which led her to Atherton Schools, where she chaired the Math department for many years and struck both fear and awe into the hearts of her students. A firm believer in the power of education, she later came out of retirement to help union members achieve their educational goals at the General Motors’ Learning Center. She spent many years supporting women’s educational opportunities through numerous leadership roles as a member of P.E.O. International. Ruth was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church and served as a deacon. She was also a religious Michigan Football fan and rarely missed a game in her 40+ years as a season ticket-holder.

While Ruth had a storied teaching career, her foundation throughout life was always her family. She married Philip E. Gage on June 23rd, 1956 and they were blessed with two sons, Philip J. and Paul, who were the center of Ruth’s world. Twelve years after her husband’s untimely passing, Ruth found love again with William T. Burns. In their marriage, they united two families that eventually totalled 13 grandchildren, who Ruth showered with sugar cookies and instilled with an affinity for camping and crafts. Throughout her life, she was also extraordinarily close with her brothers, sister, nieces and nephews and found true joy in catching up with them over a coffee or a pasty.

Ruth is preceded in death by her parents, John and Clara (Apitz) Kallander, and her siblings Katherine, Lawrence, John and George. She is survived by her sons Philip J. (Wendy) and Paul; nieces and nephews Nancy (Steven), George (Amy), Daniel (Vickie), Richard (Emilie), Lawrence (Rita), Beth, Terry (Melanie), Sarah (Phil), and Patrick; grandchildren Natalie, Christine, Katlyn (Gabriel), Adam (Erin), Ryan, Michelle (Dustin), Nicholas, Rachel, Annika, Nathan, Karl, Sarah, and Lauren; great-grandchildren Finn and Caroline; and William’s children Thom (Susan), David (Sandy), and Cathy (Robert).

A funeral service to honor Ruth will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Flint, MI on Saturday, July 29th at 11 a.m. Visitation will be held at Brown Funeral Home (1480 E. Hill Rd. Grand Blanc, MI) on Friday, July 28th from 2-4 p.m and 6-8 p.m, and on Saturday before the funeral. The family would like to invite all who knew and loved Ruth to come share memories and celebrate her life. In lieu of flowers, philanthropic contributions can be made to P.E.O. International Project for Continuing Education and Gerholz Center for Christian Counseling (www.gerholz.org/donate).

https://donations.peointernational.org/peo-donation-pce

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.brownfh.com for the Burns family.