WARSAW, IN - Ruth Ann King, 78, Warsaw, passed away on September 8, 2022. She was born May 4, 1944, as the second of five children to the late Reid Roosevelt and Thelma Mae Wilcox (Green) in Almont, MI. Ruth Ann grew up on the family’s dairy farm, went to elementary school in a one-room schoolhouse and graduated from Almont High School as Salutatorian of her class. She then went on to Henry Ford Hospital School of Nursing in Detroit, MI, where she graduated at the top of her class in 1965. On May 13, 1967, she married her sweetheart, Barry King, in Almont, MI and together they began raising five daughters. Barry and Ruth Ann lived in San Francisco, California, Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Pensacola, Florida, Guam (a U.S. island territory in the Western Pacific), Cedarville, Ohio, and Warsaw, Indiana. They moved to the Warsaw area in 1973 and had three of their five daughters here. Ruth Ann loved being a Registered Nurse for 48 years. She worked at several hospitals around the country including Murphy Medical Center, then spent most of her career at Kosciusko Community Hospital. She worked there from the time KCH opened until her retirement in June 2013. Twice, Ruth Ann was recognized as Employee of the Month and once as Employee of the Year. While there, she worked mainly as an ICU nurse, but also as an Assistant Administrative Supervisor on weekends, and in addition worked in the chemotherapy clinic for several years. She also did the bookkeeping and helped run her husband’s business, Barry King Appliance Service, for 39 years.

In recent years, she enjoyed getting together once a month with other retired KCH nurses for lunch at The American Table. She also looked forward to meeting friends to walk at the boardwalk at Pike Lake or hosting them for coffee and homemade baked goods at her house. Ruth Ann had a close relationship with her Lord Jesus from a young age. She was a member of Pleasant View Bible Church, where she enjoyed serving in the Children’s Ministry. She volunteered her time in the 2 & 3 year olds classroom, serving snacks at the church’s t-ball outreach, caring for children while mothers met for Bible study, and helping at Vacation Bible School. She also had great compassion for the “All Things New” women’s ministry supported by her church. She developed relationships with this special group of women, praying for them daily and encouraging them often.

She was very dedicated to her family and especially loved being with her grandkids. Ruth Ann loved having tea parties with her granddaughters and kicking a soccer ball or playing croquet with her grandsons. Her grandchildren will always remember her homemade cupcakes to celebrate their birthdays, reading with her, listening to her play the piano, and her adventurous spirit going tobogganing. She also enjoyed cooking, baking, traveling, tending to her flowers, the outdoors and exercising. Friends and family will always remember her as a very kind, gentle and giving person.

Ruth Ann is survived by her husband of 55 years, Barry King; daughters, René (Tomás) Moreno of Chicago, IL; Julie (Max) Courtney of St. Augustine, FL; Heather (Josh) Gunter of Avon Lake, OH; Andrea (Nathan) Davis of Dodge City, KS, and Amy (Scott) Shepherd of Litchfield, OH; grandchildren, Olivia and Mateo Moreno, Rosanna Cai Yun and Elizabeth Han Yi Courtney, Reid, Luke, Lily, and Evan Gunter, Landon, Levi, and Ava Davis, Rylan and Degan Shepherd; three younger siblings, David Wilcox, Susan Greenman, Mary Ellen Nortier, and many more family and friends. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her older brother, Paul Wilcox.

Visitation at Pleasant View Bible Church, 2782 W 200 N, Warsaw, at 11 a.m. on September 15, 2022, with a memorial service at 12 p.m. Pastor Mike Hontz officiating. The family asks that those attending wear bright colors, as that is what Ruth Ann loved. In lieu of flowers, a memorial contribution may be made to All Things New of Warsaw (https://allthingsnew.us/donate/) or Compassion.com, in honor of Ruth Ann. For additional information and to view Ruth Ann's online obituary, please visit www.churchfuneralsdirect.com.



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