Ruth Bence Alford

Ruth was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 54 years, Gerry Alford; her parents, Odell Stanley Bence and Ardell Griffin Bence; her brothers, Coburn Whaley Bence and Beeland Griffin Bence; brothers-in-law, Doyt Alford and Heyward Meadows. She is survived by her daughter, Sandra Alford McGraw (Ken) of Montgomery; sister, Betty Meadows of Chelsea, Alabama; sisters-in-law, Shirley Bence and Joyce Alford of Alexander City, Alabama; two grandsons, Patrick Ryan McGraw (Julie) of Montgomery and Jonathan Scott McGraw (Caroline) of Florence, Alabama; two great grandchildren, Mallory Elise Alford McGraw and Jack Henry Brown McGraw of Montgomery.

Ruth will be remembered by her family and friends as a Godly woman with a servant's heart and a prodigious memory. She could recount details of days gone by with astonishing accuracy, and she handed down her stories and kept traditions alive for her loved ones.

She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend who “looked well to the ways of her household”. Ruth “did not eat the bread of idleness”; rather, she worked diligently, nourishing others with good cooking and delectable, difficult-to-replicate birthday cakes.

Ruth was an active member of Dalraida Baptist Church for fifty-three years, present at her cherished Sunday School Class each week as long as her health permitted. When her vision deteriorated and health issues limited her activity in later years, she met each new challenge with steadfast faith and quiet strength.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, March 4th at Leak-Memory Chapel, 945 Lincoln Road, Montgomery, Alabama, 36109. Visitation will begin at 10:00 am. The service will be led by Pastors Rick Evans, Larry Wimberly and Larry Armstrong.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests those wishing to honor Ruth's memory to consider a donation to The Glaucoma Research Foundation, 251 Post Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94108 or Dalraida Baptist Church, 3838 Wares Ferry Road, Montgomery, AL 36109.