RUTH ELLA McKEY
1977 - 2012
Ruth Ella Burton McKey, age 94, went to sleep in the Lord on March 5, 2016 at her residence at the Brookdale Living Center, Stillwater Oklahoma.
Ruth was born the youngest of 7 children to Rose Elizabeth Bostian Burton and James Andrew Burton on December 29,1921 in Perkins, Oklahoma.
She attended school on the family farm with her siblings until her older brother came home from college, met, courted, and married the school teacher.
She then attended IXL Rural School and graduated from Perkins High School in 1941.
Following high school she boarded a train to Madison, Tennessee and 4 years later completed her Bachelor’s degree in nursing at Madison College. After passing the Oklahoma Nursing Boards, Ruth started her 4 decade career in Oklahoma City before moving home to Stillwater.
She had a devotion to babies and young mothers working in Labor and Delivery for 35 years at Stillwater Medical Center. Her storied career was celebrated by colleagues, family and local dignitaries upon her retirement in 1987.
In 1945 she married her life-long love Irven Warren McKey. They established a farm on the Mehan Road where they raised 3 children, cattle, 2 acres of vegetables each year and Ruth’s expanding flower gardens. Into her 90s she still happily shared flower bulbs and starts of shrubs or house plants with friends and sometimes strangers who stopped to admire her flowers.
Ruth has been a member of the Stillwater Seventh Day Adventist Church for many decades. She taught Kindergarten Sabbath School, volunteered with the Dorcas Society and served as a deaconess. Whenever flowers were in bloom, she was the church florist usually sending a lucky member home with a lovely arrangement.
She was an exceptionally happy and loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend.
Ruth is survived by her son, Dan McKey and wife JoAnn of Boise, Idaho; daughter ,Charlotte McKey of Stillwater; Son, Irven McKey and wife Barbara of Oklahoma City; Grandchildren, Wesley and Rhonda McKey of Auburn WA; Melanie and Brenden Koch of Walla Walla, WA; Laraine and Phillip Thomas of Boise, ID; Jennifer and Jared Freeman of Ponca City; Aaron McKey of Tulsa and Austin McKey of Oklahoma City. She is also survived by nine great grandchildren; Josephine and Riley McKey; Angelina and Dante’ Koch; Alivia and Nathaniel Thomas; Torie, Tessa and Tara Freeman. Ruth is also survived by many nieces, nephews and friends.
Ruth was predeceased by her parents, her husband of 56 years, Irven; sister, Minnie Bland and five brothers; Arthur, Elmer, Ira, Ray and Clarence Burton.
Services are 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 9 at Strode Funeral Home, Stillwater with burial at Carney Cemetery, Carney, Oklahoma.
Family visitation is Tuesday from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Strode Funeral Home, Stillwater.
The family is very grateful for the caring professional staff at Stillwater Brookdale Living Center. You cared for her as she had cared for so many and you filled her last 3 years with joy and peace. We also thank the staff of Physician’s Choice Hospice.
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