Ruth I. Harrison passed from this life on Wednesday December 7, 2016, and was born on December 26, 1915, on a small farm near Reydon, OK, to Fred and Flora Long. Ruth was the last remaining child of a family of six children.
Mrs. Harrison married Raymond H. Harrison on November 10, 1933. During the "Depression" they chose to leave the hard scrabble life of the dust blown western Oklahoma prairie to attend school at Oklahoma A&M College, where each earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Both pursued life long careers in professional education. Ruth was a brilliant student and an avid reader. She taught at the college and high school levels in Oklahoma, and taught elementary school in Kansas, Colorado, and in Fresno, CA. She also taught elementary and secondary students in African Sudan during a hiatus with Fresno Unified School District. Her love of teaching was unmatched, her performance expectations for her students were high and her teaching skills were exceptional. She is yet today remembered fondly by many students, some of whom remained personal and devoted friends until her death.
Ruth had a great love for quilting and her hand stitched quilts earned many blue ribbons including one "Best of Show" at the Fresno District Fair. She enjoyed her Bridge games with her friends and was very proud of her frequent "high scores". Ruth was a generous, kind and caring woman who had a firm sense of justice and a solid commitment to fairness. She stood up for what was right no matter the situation nor the consequences. The greatest of her loves was her husband and her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Their welfare was her highest concern.
A special thanks is given to the Nazareth House staff for the gracious, professional, dedicated, and loving care given to our mother for these past several years. We would also like to express our great appreciation to those who visited and comforted her during her time there, in particular her grandson, Michael Harrison, for his uncommon devotion to his grandmother during these many years as he sat by her bedside while she slept, read to her when she could no longer see the printed page, took her for walks in her wheelchair, and provided comfort and support when no one else could.
Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Raymond Harrison, Professor Emeritus California State University, Fresno; daughter-in-law, Mary Smith Harrison; granddaughter, Lynda Novak; one older sister Katie; two younger brothers, Wayne and Gene; and two younger sisters, Mary and Velma.
She is survived by her son, Alan and his wife Lynette, of Cambria, CA, and their sons, Michael, Bret, Jason, and Jon; daughter, Marian Novak and husband David, of Virginia, and their daughters, Jeannie, Beth, and Dena; and daughter, Eileen Harrison of Blackfoot, ID, and her son, Mark, and daughter Erin. Ruth also leaves behind many, many beautiful great-grandchildren.
A private service will be held followed by interment next to her husband at the Clovis Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that remembrances be made in Ruth's memory to the Poverello House, P.O. Box 12225, Fresno, CA 93777-2225; or to the Nazareth House at 2121 N. 1st, Fresno, CA 93703.
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