Ruth Marie Blackford Donnelly
Aug. 13, 1930-April 4, 2023
Ruth Marie Blackford Donnelly was born Aug. 13, 1930, at Waynetown, to Ariel and Erma Westfall Blackford. She passed away at age 92 on April 4, 2023, at her home in Bixby, Oklahoma, with her son Bill by her side.
She was a late-in-life surprise to her parents: her brothers, Bill, V.C., and Charles ranged in age from 14 to 21 when Erma finally got “her girl!”
Ruth graduated from Waynetown High School in 1949. On Sept. 3, 1949, she married Bob Donnelly from Keokuk, Iowa, at the Waynetown Baptist Church. Bob was in the Air Force at the time, so the newlyweds moved to a couple of postings for him, in Indianapolis and in Michigan.
Following Bob’s Air Force service, he and Ruth settled in Waynetown, and their family began to grow, first with daughter Linn, then with son Bill, and finally with daughter Denise. Ruth raised large gardens every summer, canning and freezing the vegetables she raised. She was also an excellent seamstress, making many of the family’s clothes. The family enjoyed many driving vacations to various parts of the United States, and they were fans of Indy car racing. Ruth and Bob attended the Indianapolis 500 every year for many years, as well as the time trials. These events were often shared with good friends Bob and Liz Keenan and their children. Ruth also enjoyed the activities of Sing Out Montgomery County, which Bob directed for a few years. She loved animals and had many pets, including a monkey!
A job change for Bob required the family to move to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, in 1971. The family grew over the next few years with weddings for Linn, Denise and Bill and then grandchildren. The building of the Creek Turnpike forced Ruth, Bob and Bill and his family to leave Broken Arrow and move to Bixby, Oklahoma, in 1999.
Ruth has been preceded in death by her parents; her brothers and their wives, Charles (Mary), V. C. (June) and Bill (Viv); two nephews and their wives, Charles (Violet) and Don (Beverly) Blackford; and two nieces and their husbands, Anita Gray (Walter) and Annie Linker (Gary); son-in-law Bill Ball; daughter-in-law Gayle Donnelly; and grandsons, Bracken and Adam Ball; plus a great-nephew and several relatives from the Donnelly family.
She is survived by daughters, Linn Ball and Denise (Terry) Hamburger; son Bill Donnelly; six grandchildren, Jonathan (Shannon), Nathaniel and Patrick (Amanda) Ball, Jacob (Lacy) Hamburger, Ellen (Clay) Mol and Rob Donnelly; 10 great-grandchildren, Grainger, Thomas, Charlie, Elliott and August Ball, Aspen, Jace and Zack Hamburger and Jentry and Tucker Mol; plus several nieces, nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews, along with many dear friends and church family at both Waynetown Baptist Church and First Christian Church of Broken Arrow where Ruth and Bob have been members for many years.
Visitation hours are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, April 13, at Family and Friends Funeral Home of Wingate, with funeral services following at 1 p.m. Pastor Ron Raffignone will officiate. Interment will follow in Waynetown Masonic Cemetery.
