Ruth Moore

Ruth Saunders Moore, a resident of Cleveland, Oklahoma was born August 27, 1910 in Goltry, Oklahoma the second daughter of George Rinier and Laura Jane (Lucas) Powelson. As a young girl the family moved to Bentonville, Arkansas. In 1915, Ruth moved with her family to Carthage, Missouri. While living in Carthage, Ruth began taking piano lessons. Each summer, Ruth would visit her aunt and uncle in Stockport, Iowa. In 1918, when Ruth was in the fourth grade the family moved to Cleveland, Oklahoma where her mother taught school. While in the fourth grade Ruth met Frank Moore after dropping her school books that he gladly picked up for her.

During the summers when her mother was attending Oklahoma University, Ruth was able to continue her piano lessons and learned to play the violin. Ruth loved to swim. She also loved to dive. She did not like to swim if she could not dive. She continued swimming and diving through her high school years until, the doctor told her that if she did not quit diving she was going to ruin her hearing. She stopped diving and lost interest in swimming.

There was a continued rivalry between Ruth and her older sister Mary Louise concerning who was the smartest. In 1926, Ruth won the Oklahoma State violin contest. She also was an avid tennis player winning numerous competitions. When Ruth wasnít playing sports or practicing her music she was often studying her academics. She was such an outstanding violin player that Ruth was one of two musicians selected from the local orchestra to perform at the Southwest Music Supervisors convention in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Due to her diligent effort of studies Ruth graduated valedictorian of her class from Cleveland High School in 1927.

After graduating from high school Ruth enrolled at Oklahoma University in Norman, Oklahoma. She was a member of the universityís orchestra, playing the violin. She played a violin solo during a competition in Stillwater, Oklahoma. At the beginning of her junior year Ruth had to withdraw from Oklahoma University due to financial difficulties. At that time she wrote to the Chamber of Commerce in Las Cruces, New Mexico about job opportunities. While waiting on a response from the Chamber of Commerce, she accepted a position in Oklahoma City at an insurance firm as a secretary. Soon after accepting the job Ruth received a letter asking her to contact the university in Las Cruces. Upon doing so she was offered a position as the secretary to the president of New Mexico State College in Old Mesilla, New Mexico which is now the University of New Mexico. While working for the university, Ruth met E.C. Saunders and on August 5, 1930, they were united in marriage in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Shortly after they were married they moved to Roswell, New Mexico. They later moved to El Dorado, Kansas, where E.C. began working for El Dorado Refining Company as an electrical engineer. Because the summers were so hot in El Dorado, they would drive into Wichita on Saturdayís to eat at the local restaurant that had air conditioning so that they could cool off. In April of 1937, they moved to Carlsbad, New Mexico which became their family home for over forty years. After the death of E.C. on June 18, 1979, Ruth continued to work as a bookkeeper for Merchant Livestock Company in Carlsbad retiring after 40 years with the company. Just prior to her retirement, she returned to Cleveland for the high schools 54th year class reunion and renewed her friendship with Frank Dwight Moore. That friendship blossomed into marriage on October 16, 1981 in Cleveland, Oklahoma.

Ruth was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Cleveland for the past 82 years as well a Princess of the Daughters of the Nile.

Ruth passed away Saturday, January 6, 2007 in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the age of 96 years 4 months and 9 days. She was preceded in death by her parents, two husbands E.C. Saunders, and Frank Moore and one sister, Mary Louise Tate.

She is survived by her two sons and their wives, Gene and Joann Saunders, James and Tricia Saunders of all of Phoenix, Arizona; a step-son, Gary and his wife Carol Moore of Cleveland, Oklahoma; a step-daughter, Patricia and her husband Rudy Kesner of Geneva, Illinois; seven grandchildren, eleven step grandchildren, eleven great grandchildren, seventeen step great grandchildren, one great great grandson and a host of other relatives and friends.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, January 10, 2007 at 2:00 pm in the Sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church in Cleveland, Oklahoma with Rev. Romney Nesbitt officiating. A second service will be held in Carlsbad, New Mexico at 10:00 am Saturday January 20 at Denton-Wood Funeral Home. Entombment will be in Sunset Gardens Memorial Cemetery in Carlsbad, New Mexico.