RUTH VALENTINE

Greenwood, MS

Mattie Ruth Buckner Valentine was received joyfully into heaven on July 30, 2019, after a long but brave decline.

The funeral will be at First Baptist Church in Greenwood, MS, at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 4.  Visitation begins at 1:30 p.m. at the church.  Burial will be in Old Cleveland Cemetery, Cleveland, MS, after the service.

She was born on March 21, 1922, near the McCool community in Attala County, MS.  She started her life in the Baptist church there, but the family soon moved to the Delta to Tallahatchie County and Ruth attended schools in Vance and Tutwiler, graduating from Tutwiler High School.

Her parents, George Alec and Martha Ludene Oliver Buckner, and two brothers, Emmett Buckner and George Buckner, welcomed her into a loving, Christian and hard-working family.  Her dad was a plantation manager, her mom a huge gardener, and both were devout lovers of Jesus and the Baptist church.  They always had milk fresh from the cows, so Ruth did not taste pasteurized milk till she went to college.

People said she was "smart" and a good speller, so community members encouraged her to attend Delta State College in Cleveland, the first in her family to go to college  She received her Bachelor's degree from Delta State (1943) and her Master's from Mississippi State (1959).

While at Delta State, she met Carmon Epton Valentine, whom she married in 1945 on the very day after he returned from World War II.  They lived in Cleveland until 1954 and were married for forty-one good years until his untimely death in 1985.

Ruth began her career in 1943 by teaching business education at Pace (MS) High School, and both students and fellow teachers there remained friends for life.  After her marriage, she taught in Becker, MS, (while the family lived in Amory) and in Greenwood, MS, for thirty-three years, changing to 4th and 6th grades.  She also served the community by doing people's taxes for many years through United Way.

She gave birth to four children between 1946 and 1964:  Alec, Nelle Elizabeth, Rose Mary and Suzanne.

Aside from the family, her belief in the Lord and active membership in the Baptist Church were central to her life.  At First Baptist in Greenwood, she taught Sunday School and Explorers Bible Study and for many years was one of the nursery ladies.  She loved all the babies and was treasured by her many friends and Sunday School classmates for her devotion and gentleness.  She got a little kick from days out with the Tuesday Girls.

Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Epton, her brothers and sisters-in-law, Emmett (and Ruth) Buckner and George (and Mary Lou) Buckner of Louisville, her daughter Nelle Elizabeth Wright and daughter-in-law Kay King Valentine.

She is survived by three children, Alec Valentine of Clinton, MS, Rose Mary Ainsworth (Mark) of Madison, AL, and Suzy Kolk (Jeff) of Fort Worth.  Three former sons-in-law remember her well: Fred Gordon of Memphis, Alvin Green of Memphis and Sam Wright of Beatrice, NE. Six grandchildren have loved and delighted her: Nacole Palmer of Bowdoin, ME, Simon Leon Gordon of Memphis, Nathan Ainsworth (Keela) of Madison, AL, Lauren Ainsworth Pike (Shawn) of Arlington, VA, Emily Kolk Fleniken (Chris) of Lufkin, TX, and Andrew Epton Kolk (Sarah) of Fort Worth.  There are seven great-grandchildren, Kyrus Epton Scott,  Peter Augustine Ainsworth and Joy Ainsworth, Wesley Pike,  Aubrey and Adley Fleniken and Elias Kolk.  Her in-laws John White and Jonett Valentine, nephew Christopher John Valentine of Cleveland, niece Beth Fritz of Alburtis, Pennsylvania, and dear friend Elizabeth Rester have been very loving throughout her life.

Special thanks go to the entire staffs at Riggs Manor in Raymond, MS, and Willow Creek in Byram, MS.  In lieu of flowers, friends may want to send memorials to First Baptist Church, 500 W. Washington St., Greenwood, MS 38930.

Wilson and Knight is in charge. An online guestbook may be signed at www.wilsonandknight.com