Ruth Crawford

A native of Jackson County, Ruth was born July 23, 1923, at Barkers Creek. She was the daughter of the late Jim and Fannie Sutton Pangle.

She graduated from Hoquiam High School in Hoquiam, Wash., in 1940. She only lived in Hoquiam for two years. The rest of her life she lived in Jackson County, which she dearly loved.

She married James E. “Archie” Crawford in 1943. They had two children, James E. Crawford, Jr. of Morristown, Tenn., and Karen C. Nicholson (Kenny) of Webster. Other survivors are two grandchildren, Kristi Nicholson, of The Woodlands, Texas and Julie Albert (Don) of Huntsville, Texas; four great-grandchildren, Kristopher Nicholson, of Chicago, Ill., Elizabeth Albert Davila (Antonio), of Knoxville, Tenn., Kenny Albert of Austin, Texas and Jamie Albert, of Huntsville, Texas.

Ruth was employed at Skyland Textile for 25 years. She owned and operated The Country Shop in Dillsboro for several years. She also worked at Hollifield Jewelers, retiring in 1994.

Ruth was very active in community affairs. She was named Clubwoman of the Year by the Junior Women’s Club in 1957. She was a charter member of the American Cancer Society of Jackson County and served for many years as commander. She was a member of the Rotary Club of Sylva with 11 and a half years of perfect attendance, which she took much pride in. She was awarded the Paul Harris Fellow Award in 2006.

Ruth was active in the First Baptist Church of Sylva, having been a member for over 60 years. She served on many committees but most of all loved providing and arranging flowers for different occasions. Ruth and her late husband, Archie, were very active in raising money for Broyhill Children’s Home in Haywood County in the 1960s. She also participated in the Together We Grow campaign, helping with the Christmas Bazaar and other church committees.

She was a loving person with a fiery nature and a flair for living a life full of humor, fun, and love. Ruth loved to work in her flower beds, play bridge and take road trips with her friends. She especially enjoyed telling stories. Her favorite childhood memory was memorialized in a book, “The Story of Cinder,” written in 2015 when she was 92 years old.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, at First Baptist Church of Sylva with Dr. Jeff Mathis officiating.

The family will receive friends from 1-1:45 p.m. prior to the service at the church.

Burial will be in Fairview Memorial Gardens, Sylva NC

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Baptist Children’s Homes of NC, P.O. Box 338, Thomasville, NC 27361.

An online registry is available at www.appalachianfuneralservices.com.