Ruth Norton

Ruth Gaynelle Norton (nee McBee) passed away Monday, December 21, 2020 in the morning at Johnson City Medical Center. During the last year of her life, she was under the care of the dedicated nurses and staff at Governors Bend Assisted Living Center in Erwin, Tennessee.

She is survived by her childhood sweetheart and husband of 54 years, retired U. S. Army Lt. Col. William Norton, Jr. They met as children in Beaufort, South Carolina at the Parris Island Marine Corp Base where their fathers worked. They remained devoted partners all their lives and shared many adventures.

As a child, Ruth studied ballet and art, and attended St. Helena’s Episcopal Church in Beaufort. She later attended Limestone College in Gaffney, S. C. to study art and history, her lifelong passions.

With the start of the Vietnam War, she saw her beloved Bill get drafted. Before he shipped out, they were married at St. Helena’s Episcopal Church on July 24, 1966. She then sent her young husband off to war. As the daughter of a Marine and the wife of an Army officer, she soldiered on through her husband’s two tours to Vietnam, delivering two children, William III and Kristen, before he finally came home.

Peacetime saw Ruth move her young family on to welcome her last child, Katherin. Throughout this time Ruth carefully created a home of comfort and love for her family, all while continuing to finish her education. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marquette University. She firmly believed in being a strong educated southern woman and instilled this love of the arts and education in her three children. She painted many things throughout her life, and her works hang in the homes of her husband, children, and family members.

Life in the Army moved Ruth to all parts of the world, an adventure she relished. She was thrilled to explore the native cultures and landscapes, setting up home in faraway places like Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Germany. Her love of adventure gave her children a view of the world that they will carry forever. One of her favorite pastimes, until the very end, was to get in the car with her sweetheart and go wherever the road would take them.

Ruth worked on many issues and projects through her life: art, history, and genealogy. Over the years, Ruth became a proficient researcher in all things to do with the family heritage, and amassed thousands of records documenting the history of the family and sharing it with others. She was also a dedicated patriot, and devoted years of effort to being a voter polling volunteer.

In later years, she was deprived of mobility due to various physical ailments, but not spirit. Her devoted husband cared for her for many years before she moved into assisted living. Her favorite pastime remained going on long drives with her husband through the mountains to explore the world. Although her condition would keep them apart physically sometimes, she still saw and spoke with her husband several times a day, either in person or on the phone. Their marriage and connection have been a shining example of what true love really means in troubling times.

Ruth is survived by her devoted husband Bill, her three children William, Kristen, and Katherin, and her son-in-law Sedat. She was delighted to be able to assist in the delivery of her three grandchildren who she adored: Ashley, Jonathan, and Riley, who have all inherited her love of art.

She is mourned by her sisters June Laing and Sandra Sloan, her sister-in-law Emily Featherston, and her brothers-in-law Dub Featherston and Allen Sloan. She is remembered by four nephews and five nieces and many cousins and friends in the Beaufort area and the military community.

Visitation for Ruth will be held on December 26 at 1:00pm at Berry Highland Memorial Home, 5315 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, Tennessee. Funeral service will be held on December 26, 2020 at 3:00 pm at Berry Highland Memorial. Ruth’s niece the Reverand Kimberly Mitchell will officiate. The family will lay Ruth to rest at Beaufort National Cemetery, 1601 Boundary Street, Beaufort, SC at noon on Tuesday, December 29, 2020.