Elsie Ruth Brackbill King, 90, went home to be with the Lord on Nov. 30, 2012, surrounded by her loving family at Fairmount Homes where she had been a resident for the past two years.
Ruth was born July 4, 1922, in Malvern, Pa., to the late Harry G and Myrtle (Halteman) Brackbill. Also preceding her in death were her sister, Gertrude and two still born sisters.
On April 5, 1942, Ruth married Emery Daniel King who preceded her in death on Sept. 12, 1998. She is survived by their four sons and one daughter, Harry (Marge Hertzler) of Malvern, Pa., Ralph (Brenda Hummel) of Sugarcreek, Ohio, Lois (David) Huston of Malvern, Pa., David (Debra Glick) of Harrisonburg, Va., and Daniel (Laurita King) of Trout Run. In addition, she is survived by 13 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and four stepgreat-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a granddaughter.
Ruth graduated from Eastern Mennonite School in 1940 and was very involved in nearly every operation of her parent's store, Brackbill's Farm Markets in Malvern. She was a member of Frazer Mennonite Church where she was a Sunday School teacher and served as secretary of the Frazer Summer Bible School as well as the Marsh Hill Summer Bible School. In 1986, she moved with her husband to Marsh Hill, Pa., where they enjoyed their retirement years and helped establish Mountain View Fellowship.
Ruth was well known for her gracious hospitality and good food as evidenced by her guest books which she maintained faithfully for all of her married life. Her home was open to anyone and everyone where there was always good food and a jigsaw puzzle. She loved playing table games with her children and grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at Frazer Mennonite Church on Friday, Dec. 7, at 11 a.m., preceded by visitation at the church 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and burial in Frazer Mennonite Cemetery at 10:30 a.m. An additional memorial service will be held at Mountain View Fellowship, Bodines, Pa., on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Mountain View Fellowship, 1785 Pleasant Stream Road, Trout Run, PA 17771 or Fairmount Homes Sharing Fund, 333 Wheat Ridge Road, Ephrata, PA 17522. Funeral arrangements are by Mauger Givnish Funeral Home of Malvern.
