Obituary of Ruth Ann Anderson Morris

Ruth Ann Anderson Morris, age 81, passed away Wednesday, October 7, 2020, at the home of her daughter in Auburn, WA, where she has resided the past 12 years. She was born September 12, 1939, in Otwell, IN, to Charles A. and Olive Kearby Anderson. Following her graduation from Otwell High School in 1957, and from Lockyear Business College in 1958, she moved to Indianapolis, IN, to work in civil service for the US government at Ft. Benjamin Harrison. After a 37-year career, she retired from her last position at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, HI, where she had worked 25 years. She was married on November 15, 1958, to Benton (Ben) LaVern Morris, CWO-4, US Army, Retired, who died June 11, 2008. As a military wife, she lived in Germany, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Hawaii. Ruth Ann was a sweet and caring mother and grandmother, and she loved to travel and visit her family. She enjoyed playing card games and was an avid sports fan, fervently following Gil Hodges’ career and, until just a couple of weeks before her passing, cheering for her Seattle Mariners. Though she couldn’t get to the games, she was a “special guest” whose cardboard likeness sat along the third base line at the Mariners’ ballpark. In addition, her room was always filled with Indiana University memorabilia. When her children were in school, she was the official scorekeeper for their high school basketball teams in Fletcher, OK. Ruth Ann was preceded in death by her parents and her husband of nearly 50 years. She is survived by her daughter, Brenda Kulju (Jon) of Auburn, WA, and sons Brian (Tammy Little) of Lawton, OK, and Brad (Lorelei) of Kihei, HI; 9 grandchildren: Malia Faleafine, Jack Kulju, and Samantha Smith; and Jessica and Joshua Morris; and Shasta, Christopher, Cody, and Cassidy Morris; and 16 great grandchildren. Also surviving are her brother Ken Anderson and sister Mary Jane Wools, both living in Florida; cousins, Shirley Yates McLaughlin, Donna Yates Dyer, and Bonnie Yates Pauw. She will be interred beside her husband at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, commonly known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, HI. Memorial contributions can be made to the Otwell High School Scholarship Fund at the Pike County Community Foundation, P.O. Box 587, Petersburg, IN 47567. Funeral arrangements have been provided by Klontz funeral home. Condolences, messages, and memories can be posted on www.klontzfuneralhome.com.