Submitted by
Karen Stewart

Ruth Elaine Harritt Starnes

GUTHRIE — Ruth Elaine Harritt Starnes was born April 30, 1914, and died Dec. 18, 2006.

Seventh child and second daughter of Olie Green and Mary Timmie Bates Harritt; born at her parents Elaine County farm home northeast of Watonga; married July 6, 1944, at Watonga to Richard Lloyd Starnes, born Aug. 9, 1914, at Davis in Murray County, son of Mary Paralee Sanders and James Richard Starnes.

Ruth attended the district rural school located one and one-half miles from her parents home, and graduated from Watonga High School in 1931. She majored in elementary education at Oklahoma A&M College at Stillwater. After obtaining a five-year state teaching certificate, she was employed to teach the Araphoe rural school near Okeene in Blaine County. Her second teaching position was at the Bridgeford School where she had attended the elementary grades as a child. During these first years of teaching, Ruth attended summer school in Stillwater, graduating with a bachelor of science degree in elementary education in 1939.

Her teaching career of 27 years included positions in Garvin County, Duncan and Ponca City. While teaching in Ponca City, Ruth attended school at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater where she obtained a master of science degree in elementary education in 1964. During this time she served on a steering committee which organized a reading council in north central Oklahoma and later was elected president of that organization.

While teaching in Ponca City, Ruth was elected to Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary sorority for outstanding women educators. She has served as president of the Alpha Epsilon chapter of the sorority and remained a member during her retirement.

After retiring from the teaching profession in 1976, Ruth took classes in genealogy and has done genealogical research in the National Archives and Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the Church of the Latter-day Saints Library in Salt Lake City and many other libraries in various parts of the country. She was a member of the Pioneer Genealogical Society and had served as vice president and assistant editor of the society's newsletter.

At the age of 12, Ruth joined the Christian Church in Watonga and has transferred her membership to that denomination wherever she resided. She and her husband are active members of First Christian Church of Ponca City where she has served as a deaconess and president of the Christian Women's Fellowship Guild.

Ruth enjoyed reading, genealogy, playing golf, and listening to classical music.

She was preceded in death by her husband Lloyd on Nov. 24, 2006; her parents; three brothers, Charles, Glen and Burton Harritt; one nephew, Judge Neal Mertz; and one sister, Elma Went Fuqua.

She is survived by one sister, Mary Olive Mertz of San Antonio, Texas; five nieces, Glenda Flury and Harriet Morgan, both of Guthrie, Tamara Harritt of Fresno, Calif., Janet Mertz of San Antonio, Texas, and Donna Gold of Apple Valley, Calif.; one sister-in-law, Thelma Lowther of Lahabra, Calif.; three nephews, Dr. Garey Harritt of Guthrie, Dr. Paul Mertz of Stevens Pointe, Wis., and Bob Lowther of Hesperia, Calif.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to First Christian Church, 210 N. Fifth Street, Ponca City, Okla. 74601 and Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation at 825 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, Okla. 73104.

Viewing will take place at 9 a.m. at First Christian Church in Ponca City on Friday, Dec. 22, with the funeral following at 11 a.m. under the direction of Community Funeral Home of Guthrie.