Ruth Elizabeth Smith

Ruth (Claybourn) Johnson Smith, 92, of Evansville, passed away Wednesday, December 1, 2010, at Parkview Care Center. She was born July 12, 1918, in Benton, IL to Noel and Olive (Potter) Claybourn. As a girl she loved school, taught dance and represented Benton in the Miss Illinois Beauty Contest. A warm and outgoing woman, she enjoyed an active social life. After the family moved to a farm between Elberfeld and Millersburg, she learned to love life in the country with horses, gardening, swimming and other outdoor activities. She shared a lifelong love of reading with her children and enjoyed playing the piano and organ. A fulltime mother until her children were all in school, Ruth was employed as a bookkeeper for J. B. Drilling Company and Francis Barnes Accounting, and later as an optical assistant in the office of Dr. Charles Brizius. She was always involved with her children in church, school, and scouting activities. With her husband, Chick, an active Mason and Shriner who served as Potentate of the Hadi Shrine Temple, she was active in Rainbow Girls as Mother Adviser and in the Daughters of the Nile and the Egyptian Band. Over a period of twenty plus years she enjoyed family activities with the Shrine White Horse Patrol and supporting Chick in his dedication to helping organize the Shrine Circus every Thanksgiving. Following the death of her first husband, Ruth later reconnected with a high school classmate, Robert Smith, then living in California. After a courtship of several months by telephone, sight unseen, he proposed and they were married shortly after. Upon his retirement from the faculty at San Bernardino State College, they enjoyed travel and had a happy twenty years developing a mutual interest in ceramics from throwing pots to sculpture, studying under Les Miley at Evansville College and at San Bernardino State College in California. Ruth is dearly loved and deeply admired by her family. She modeled the highest qualities of strength, integrity, courage, intelligence, compassion and especially love for her children. We are blessed to have had her example and her love. She was preceded in death by her first husband, E. E. “Chick” Johnson of Evansville; second husband, Robert Smith of San Bernardino, CA; and brother, Bob Claybourn of Phoenix. She is survived by her son, Bob Johnson and wife, Beverly; daughters, Janice (Johnson) May of Kankakee, IL, Pamela (Johnson) Taverner and husband, Clyde, of Wichita, KS and Deborah (Johnson) deForest and husband, Dan, of Magnolia, TX; step-children, Jim Smith and wife, Sandy, of California and David Smith and wife, Ruth Ann, of California; grandchildren, Bryan Johnson and Blakely (Johnson) Brown; step-grandchildren, Ali, Brian and Mathew Smith; two great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews. Services will be 10:00 AM Saturday, December 4, 2010, at Alexander East Chapel, officiated by Chaplin Carolyn Edwards with burial in Sunset Memorial Park. Friends may visit Friday from 2:00 to 8:00 PM at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to any charity in memory of Ruth.