Ruth W. Poole

Born in a log cabin in Alderson, West Virginia, Ruth was the daughter of Ira Newton Lewis and Lena Mae Clark Lewis. She was an only child, losing a sister in infancy. Ruth grew up on the 400 acre Lewis family farm in Alderson, learning hard work at an early age. That same work ethic stayed with her the rest of her life. She loved school and her Methodist church, and eventually found her calling as a third- generation school teacher and minister’s wife.

Ruth graduated from high school in Alderson and was recruited to come to Trevecca Nazarene College in Nashville, Tennessee in 1933. Going to college in The Great Depression had it’s challenges but she persevered through determination and hard work. She also met the love of her life, John D. Poole (J.D.), a young aspiring minister from Paris, Tennessee. They married in 1935 in the Wise Chapel at Nashville First Church of the Nazarene, and after J.D.’s graduation from TNC, they accepted their first pastorate in Hanford, CA.

Their first son, John David Poole, Jr., was born in 1938 in Hanford, CA when J.D. and Ruth were pastoring the Hanford Church of the Nazarene, and their younger son, Wendell Lewis Poole, was also born in Stockton, CA in 1939 while serving at the Milton (CA) Church of the Nazarene.

With a very young family in tow, Ruth and J.D. came back to her home state of West Virginia in 1941 where they became the ministers at Spencer, WV and then at Wheeling, WV congregations. 1945 brought a move to New Philadelphia, Ohio where their ministry thrived. Ruth served as mother, Sunday School teacher, piano player, and also continued her education at Youngstown State University. She began her career as an elementary school teacher there, and continued as an educator for nearly 20 years in Ohio, even after a move to Youngstown in 1957 and Indian Valley in 1969.

After J.D.’s retirement from the ministry in 1974, they moved back to Alderson, WV to help care for the family farm and became charter members of the Ronceverte (WV) Church of the Nazarene (now Greenbrier Valley). Ruth continued to teach in the public school system, as well as mentoring young people in the community and church for nearly 20 years. In fact, she was still substitute teaching at 80 years of age in Greenbrier County.

J.D. passed away in 1995 after 60 years of marriage, but Ruth continued to be an energetic force in the community and church before moving to Nashville, TN in 1998. She became a resident of Trevecca Towers, and true to her life-long thirst for learning, audited college religion classes at Trevecca Nazarene University when she was 86 years of age. As the oldest living alumni she became a fixture at Trevecca sporting events, proudly donning her purple attire.

Ruth W. Poole’s life was a picture of hard work and faithfulness to God, her family, her church, and her beloved state of West Virginia and Trevecca Nazarene University.

Ruth is survived by her two sons, John David Poole, Jr. (Nancy), and Wendell Lewis Poole (Jo Ann); 6 grandchildren, John David Poole III (Kim), Deborah Challoner (Patrick Quinn), Kendell Poole (Tammy), Kyle Poole (Julie), Jill Bosco (Dean), Katie Polk (Dale); 11 great grandchildren, Dagny Challoner, David Reynolds Challoner, Jackson Poole, Bryce Poole, Kurtis Poole, Carter Poole, Annalee Poole, Dylan Kling, Kennedy Polk, Madeline Kling, Dale Polk IV.