Ruth Barham

Ruth colored outside the lines and often had to be reminded there were lines. When her children were little, she never bought them coloring books but rather large drawing pads or rolls of paper and some crayons, pencils and pens. Coloring books were too confining and therefore unthinkable. She would also get on the floor with her children and draw, and they were encouraged to express what they were seeing whether good or bad but always hoping to turn bad to good. With those lessons in expression, she changed their lives and their children’s lives forever. (Thank you, Mom).

Being a natural teacher, she could not keep from helping many others whether her friends, neighbors, neighbors’ kids, colleagues, people who worked for her, clients, or whoever came in contact with her. She loved life and learning and inspired many others to do the same by encouraging them not to limit themselves and to work hard.

And Ruth understood the importance of hard work. She graduated from college with a 4.0 then from law school. She opened her own law practice in Dallas when that still wasn’t a “thang” in Texas for women as there were less than 10 women in a solo practice at the time. It was successful for decades, and later, she owned other businesses with her last one being a sitter service for the elderly and infirm. She had fought cancer in her late 60s and dealt with more than one sitter service and had wanted to make a difference if she recovered. She started that successful business at the age of 70 and ran it until she was 80 years old.

There are too many other achievements to list, but she considered her greatest achievement marrying a “wonderful man” (and he was wonderful) and having and raising two children. She lamented on several occasions how she wished she could have had more children.

About now she sounds like a saint, but she was like everyone else. She had her joys and her terrors. And sometimes she could be difficult. Thankfully, she knew the Lord and He directed her path for the most part, and now she's with Him enjoying the most in living. But her death has left a hole in the family, and we want to fill it up with thoughts of the good and great things she did and inspired.

Ruth was preceded in death by her husband of 41 years, Harvey Barham, her parents, Ira and Viola Thomas of Arkadelphia, AR, six siblings -- Marjorie Stevenson, Joyce Stiffler, Iris Toombs all of Gurdon, AR, Mary Ann Newton and Ira "Tommy" Thomas, Jr of Curtis, AR, and Judith Johnston of Duncanville, TX.

She is survived by her daughter Lisa Zirkle (Doug) of Hayden, CO and her son, Harvey Barham, Jr (Jenny) of Richardson TX as well as her six grandchildren Rachel Miller and Laura Zirkle of NYC, Chistopher Zirkle of Steamboat Springs, CO, Caroline Zirkle of Hayden, CO, Charlie Barham and Anna Barham of Richardson, TX, three great grandchildren, her sister, Annette Dunn of Texarkana, TX and many nieces and nephews.

A graveside service will be held 1pm on Monday, March 31st at Liberty Cemetery in Prescott, AR.

Online tributes may be sent to www.eastfuneralhome.com