Valenta Ruth Mantooth

Services for Valenta Ruth Mantooth, Lindsay, Oklahoma, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at the First Baptist Church, Lindsay, Oklahoma with Pastor Randy Allen officiating. Ruth passed away on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at her home in Lindsay, Oklahoma at the age of 94. Burial in the family plot at Greenhill Cemetery, Lindsay, will follow the service. A lifelong resident of Garvin County, Valenta Ruth Mantooth was born Oct. 22, 1914, in Maysville, Oklahoma. Her parents were John Thomas and Eldora Smith Alexander, longtime Maysville residents. Ruth was proud of having graduated as valedictorian of her class at Maysville High School in 1932, but in later years made it clear that her greatest pride and joys were her family. She married John Wesley Mantooth on Sept. 23, 1934, in Lindsay, Oklahoma. In the early years of their marriage, when they were living near the Washita River, Ruth was more directly involved with farming operations. Feeding farm workers, especially during broomcorn harvesting, was especially challenging in those days. They raised six children in the farmhouse they built 1 mile north of Lindsay in 1947. For many years Ruth churned butter from their milk cow and sold eggs from the chickens she raised. Proficient at designing and sewing clothing, she enjoyed making clothes for the children. Throughout her life, she was active in her church, was a longtime member of the Women?s Missionary Union (WMU), and until the end of September was still a regular participant in the Sunday School class at the Lindsay First Baptist Church where she was the second oldest member. After the six children had finished college and were on their own, Ruth continued developing artistic interests and began painting china. She was a member of a local china painters group that met regularly to paint and learn from each other and guest teachers. She gave hundreds of dishes decorated with realistic flowers, fruits and birds to friends and relatives and filled numerous shelves in her home with them. She enjoyed joining relatives and friends on trips to visit her children and explore other parts of the world. Her travels included a visit to Sweden where a daughter was a Rotary exchange student. Such travels fit well with her active mind, which was always seeking new knowledge and insights. After her husband, J.W. "Wes" Mantooth, died in 1993, adjustment to life without her partner of nearly 60 years was difficult, but she stayed busy with her garden, travels, china painting and frequent visits from family members. She maintained strong interest in the family farming operations and even when she could no longer drive, she took special delight in being driven to see the cattle and crops in her red pickup truck. "I?m a farm woman," she?d often declare with pride. She was especially thankful when a son, Mike, and his wife, Pat, came in 2005 to live in an apartment that was built above the farmhouse and helped with cattle and farming operations. Her greatest sorrow came in 2002 with the death of daughter Linda Ruth Mantooth Thornton. She was married to Ronald L. Thornton, who lives in Norman. Other survivors include: * Children and spouses: Betty Lou Garrett (Guy), of Richardson, Texas; James E. "Jim" Mantooth (Robbie), of Port Angeles, Washington; Michael D. "Mike" Mantooth (Pat), of the home in Lindsay; Jo Ellen Howard (John), of Hurst, Texas; and Marilyn Elaine Miller (Chuck), of Richland Hills, Texas. * Grandchildren Marc Douglas Garrett and Paul Gregory Garrett, of Jakarta, Indonesia; Allison Ann Garrett Howes, Cairo, Egypt; Wes Iwasaki Mantooth, Kirkland, Washington; James Wesley Mantooth, Arroyo Seco, California; James Robert Mantooth, Catonsville, Maryland; John Wesley Mantooth, Stillwater, Oklahoma; Jeffrey Wayne Thornton, Liberty City, Missouri; Amy Ruth Marie Thornton Cosgrove, Bellingham, Washington; William Virgil Howard, Hurst,

Valenta Ruth Mantooth

October 22, 1914 - October 15, 2009

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