Ruth Daugherity

Ruth Daugherity, age 96, formerly of Sumner, Missouri, passed away peacefully on September 9, 2022.

Ruth was the daughter of William (Bill) Thornsberry and Bettie Thomas.  She was born on February 8, 1926, in Cunningham, in Chariton, County, Missouri.

She married her high school sweetheart, Walter Wesley Daugherity, on October 15, 1945.  They were married for thirty-six years, until his death at age 51 in 1978.  She would remain a widow thereafter.

She was a resident first of Cunningham, then lived at the “Eisley Place” near Sumner, before a move to Rothville, MO.  From there, she and Walter moved to the Century-Old Farm home place near Sumner.  After Walter’s death, Ruth moved into the town itself across the street from her father, and she devotedly cared for him until his death.  Her kind and loving spirit never failed as she also cared for her mother-in-law, Manda Daugherity, nearby for several more years.  After a fall at home at age 90, Ruth moved to Indian Hills Independent Care Center in Chillicothe, MO.  Later, at 96, she moved to the New Mark Care Center in Kansas City.

Everyone who knew Ruth would have described her as a gentle soul who was kind to all and put her love for everyone into action.  Ruth had a special place in her heart for children, and many neighborhood kids would enjoy spending time at her house.

She was an active member for many years of the Sumner United Methodist Church and the UMW Women.  She also taught Sunday School for many years.  Other clubs or activities she enjoyed included the Triangle Class, serving on the Fullbright Museum Board, the Taylor Golden Rule Extension Club, being a leader of the 4-H, Royal Neighbors, Friends of Swan Lake Refuge, and the Angel Collectors Club of America.  In addition, she served as the Sumner tax collector, and she was a founding member of the Pioneer Kitchen and The Chuckwagon.

Her hobbies included gardening, sewing, quilting, and embroidery, especially of tea towels and collecting angels.

Ruth also loved the Sumner Goose Festival, not missing even one over a span of sixty-five years.  She also once served as the Grand Marshal.  Several times late in her life, she was the “oldest attending woman” at the event.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Bill & Bettie; her husband, Walter; her brothers, Howard and wife Ruth, and Floyd (Pevis) and wife Vivian; her sisters, Mary McKee and Nina Lou; and her nephews Ronnie, Donnie, Robert, David, and Roger Dale.

An excellent woman, she will be much missed by those who survive her, including her children, Virginia Stephenson (Lonnie) of Kansas City, Jim Daugherity of Sumner, and Mary Jean Streiff (Dave) of Kansas City; her grandchildren; Jennifer Pascoe (Dustin), Dan Daugherity (Lisa), Nathan Stephenson, Matt Stephenson (Lindsay), Sarah Porter (Matt), and Josh Anderson; and her great-grandchildren, Abby, Betsy, and Brett Pascoe, Cole and Ella Daugherity, Coryn, Luke, Cosette, and Kaya Stephenson, Lyla Porter, and Atticus and Zita Anderson.

Other family members include many nieces and nephews; her sisters-in-law (who became more like real sisters) Imogene Triplett and Mary Frances Mauzey; and her “double cousin”, Helen Thornsberry Myers.

She will be borne to the grave by pallbearers Jennifer Pascoe, Dan Daugherity, Nate Stephenson, Matt Stephenson, Josh Anderson, and Sarah Porter with Chuck Lomax serving as an honorary pallbearer.

The funeral arrangements will be made by Wright Funeral Home in Brookfield, Missouri. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, September 12, 2022, at the Sumner United Methodist Church with Pastor Charles Littrell officiating. Visitation will be held from 1:00 p.m.  until time of the service at the church.

Memorials in lieu of flowers can be made to the Sumner United Methodist Church, or the charity of your choice, in Ruth’s memory. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ruth Daugherity, please visit our floral store.