With her family at her side, Ruth Elaine Garrett died at her home near Orland on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. She was born in Glenn County on Oct. 13, 1953, and was raised there by Vernon and Marion Shults.
An active member in the community, as a young lady she attended the First Baptist Church of Orland and was in the Brownies and Rainbow Girls. Through the years, her role within the church evolved to include youth group leader and Sunday School teacher.
She enjoyed gathering in worship and service with her friends in the Baptist Women’s Circle of Promise, and assisted in the organizing and decorating of many church events. She was also a member of the IOOF Rebekahs group, alongside her mother.
After graduating from Orland High School, she went on to earn a degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising. She enjoyed applying her flair for fashion and her seamstress skills to designing clothes and quilts.
Her artistic abilities didn’t stop there. She was a cake decorator, perfectly executing masterpieces for weddings and birthdays.
She had a natural talent for tole painting, and further developed her craft through professional classes. She created beautiful pieces that will long be cherished.
She also enjoyed floral design and landscaping, a passion she shared with her sister and passed on to her children and grandchildren. She was able to share this talent with the community when she spent time working at the Willow Glenn Garden Center in Willows.
Family was everything to Ruth. In 1973, she married her high school sweetheart, Ron Garrett. She dedicated her life to her family as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and godmother.
She loved being a home manager and volunteer. She frequently committed her time supervising field trips, organizing fundraisers, and doing anything else that she could to make the community a better place for her children and their friends, many of whom still called her “Mom” as adults and visited her often.
When her children became parents, she enjoyed spending time with her grandkids and watching them. She was proud to attend basketball games, gymnastic competitions, and ag shows, as well as watching swimming lessons, decorating for the holidays, and cooking with each of them.
Ruth enjoyed family camping trips at the coast and in the mountains. She loved the outdoors and spending time in nature with her family.
She is survived by her husband of 50 years, Ron; sister Mary Beth Stanbery and brother-in-law Al; daughter Veronica Friday and son-in-law James; daughter-in-law Jennifer Garrett; and grandchildren Kaylee Garrett, Gavin Garrett, JaRon Friday, and Brayden Friday. She was preceded in death by her son, Benjamin Garrett.
Family and friends are invited to attend services honoring Ruth at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6, under the pavilion at the IOOF Cemetery located on County Road P, southeast of Orland.
The Glenn County Observer 