Ruth Matthews Rawls

Ruth Matthews Rawls, a long time resident of Johnson City, died peacefully at her home on Friday, November 18,2016. She was born in 1926 in Livingston, a small town in Overton County, Tennessee. She received her RN degree from St. Thomas School of Nursing in Nashville. She used her nursing skills in public health and on the surgical floors of Johnson City Memorial Hospital. Her three children, Sheryl Paul, Dallas, TX, Lynn Sherrod, Johnson City, TN and Tom Rawls, Signal Mountain, TN all survive her. She instilled in them the love of family, the importance of continuous learning, commitment to helping others and a strong work ethic. Ruth was the consummate 'Steel Magnolia.' She was strong, independent minded, intuitive, kind, intellectually inquisitive, and famous for her ability to forge lifelong friendships with people of distinctly diverse backgrounds and opinions. She deeply appreciated the arts, was an accomplished amateur painter herself and member of the Shady Oaks Garden Club. She was a woman of quiet spirituality whose faith sustained her. Ruth was dedicated to community involvement, tirelessly volunteering for and supporting various local worthy causes including Dawn of Hope Development Center, Oakland Park Childrens Home and Girl Scouts of America. Ruth was a charter member and first elected president of the Johnson City Womans Club, whose mission and members held a special place in her heart. In addition to her three children and their much beloved spouses John Paul, Edgar Sherrod and Tonda Jackson Rawls, she is survived by four loving grandchildren, Laura and Amanda Sherrod, and Madison and Jack Rawls each of whom brought her great joy. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to National Epilepsy Foundation 8301 Professional Place, Suite 200, Landover, MD 20785 800-213-5821 http://www.epilepsy.com/ The Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America 733 Third Avenue, Suite 510, New York, NY 10017 800-932-2423 http://www.ccfa.org/ The family of Ruth Matthews Rawls will receive friends from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM on December 17, 2016, at Morris-Baker with a memorial service celebrating Ruths life immediately following.