Ruth L. Palmer

Ruth L. Palmer, 92, passed away peacefully on Jan. 1, 2008. She was born on Aug. 6, 1915 to Frank and Maude (Kattell) Walker in Candor, NY. She was predeceased by her brother Kenneth, husband Dewain and son Gregory.Ruth is survived by her daughter Daryl (Robert) Beffie, grandchildren Anne (Dr. Wayne) Shreffler, Laura (Jay) McLarnon, Edward Palmer, great grandchildren Adelynn and Kaitlin Shreffler, Jack, Charlie and Henry McLarnon, daughter-in-law Dale Palmer and sister-in-law MarthaWalker, as well as several nieces and nephews.Ruth graduated from Candor High School. As a young girl, Ruth lived and worked on her parents farm, but found time to pitch on a local baseball team. She spent her entire married life in Jenksville, NY and was a devoted member of the United Methodist Church. She loved teaching youth Sunday School. Ruth was a jack of many trades, trained as a hairdresser, operating her own wall papering business when the children were small, and later traveling to Ithaca with her husband, a groundskeeper at Cornell University, Ruth cleaned many professors homes and made many long-lasting friendships. As a retired couple, Ruth and Dewain lived their faith through visiting the shut-in, helping older folks care for lawns and homes. They attended Dinner Bells and garden or farm shows and never could resist pulling over for a yard sale. They were a joyful couple who showered their family with love and always gathered them around a bountiful table, spread with fruits of their labor from the many vegetable gardens they kept. In her final years, Ruth moved into town and continued to be a friend and teacher to anyone willing to come by and sit for a spell. She continued visiting the elderly and volunteered at the Tioga County Office for the Aging. She taught her great grandchildren the secrets of good cooking, never passed up a chance to go blueberrying, and used up all her patience teaching Annie how to can tomatoes and make jelly. More than just a wife, mother or grandmother, Ruth Palmer was a loyal friend. She offered all she had to whomever she encountered and never hesitated with her smile or an encouraging word. A tiny woman, she leaves behind a great example and very big shoes to fill.A celebration of Ruths life will be held on Saturday at 1 PM at the MacPherson Funeral Home, 5 Whig St., Newark Valley. Her friend, Pastor William Haynes will officiate. Interment will follow in Glen Hope Cemetery, Jenksville. Her family will receive friends from 11am until the time of the service at 1 pm at the MacPherson Funeral Home.