Ruth, circa 1940 (photographer unknown)
Ruth (Rothgeb) Wellman Cratin,
born in 1918 and raised in Ceredo, WV, she was the third child of William Grover Rothgeb and Nannie Mariedth (Sayre). Spinal meningitis claimed sister Ella Mae at 13 months old. Her father is among the 675,000 people in the US who died from the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918; Ruth was three weeks old then.
Sister Wilma Lee, Ruth & Nannie held a close bond throughout their lives. Wilma (Rothgeb) Strohmeyer rests alongside her husband, Edwin Earl Strohmeyer, at nearby Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington, WV. Everyone else is buried at Crescent Hill Cemetery.
Ruth, at age 22, married Garland Odell Wellman of Kenova, WV, on Christmas Day, 1940, in Danville, Virginia. Their path soon led away from the Ceredo/Kenova area, and within 12 years, they settled on the Texas gulf coast. There they lived their remaining lives. They divorced in 1975, nearing 35 years of marriage. The children born to Odell and Ruth were Patricia Ann, Linda Jean, and James Allen. Each died in 2003 being age 84.
Ruth married John Roger Cratin, Jr. in 1983; their blended family included Roger’s sons, Roger and David. Their mutual love and companionship flourished, for over 17 years, until Roger’s death in 2000.
Education –
Faith was a constant companion and, indeed, a source of strength. Ruth graduated Magna Cum Laude with Degree of Bachelor of Arts from the Teachers College of Marshall College (now Marshall University) on June 4, 1940. She enjoyed her studies, even later in life. Ruth was admitted to “The Cradle Roll Department” of the Methodist Episcopal Sunday School on March 23rd, 1919. At age 52, she received acclamations, having been named to the President’s List while attending a local community college. Ten scholastically outstanding women in the junior class at Marshall College competed for the title of Alma Mater. A panel of faculty members judged the nominees upon their scholarship, citizenship, voice, diction, carriage, poise, and general appearance. Three of that group were selected by the panel, and the junior class chose Ruth Rothgeb to be their Alma Mater. Elected by the students, Ruth was crowned Prom Queen in her senior year.
Pursuits –
She fondly recalled teaching mathematics and English to “high school” students. Ruth took an active role in her children’s interests – Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Rainbow for Girls, Parent and Teachers Association, and the like. Civic pursuits included Rotarians, the League of Women Voters, the Methodist, and the Presbyterian faith. A friendly person, she enjoyed playing Bridge and entertaining and cooking (especially chocolate meringue pie). She had a “green thumb”; often recognized for her beautiful gardening and floral arrangements. At nineteen years after her death, Amaryllis bulbs she nurtured continue to bloom! Never to be idle, specific crafts drew her attention, especially decoupage and ikebana. And never afraid to try out a new skill and never mind her slight frame, she hung wallpaper, painted interiors, repaired appliances, laid flooring …
After raising the children, she even became an entrepreneur. She opened a women’s dress boutique. Her keen eye for fashion (having been a seamstress), her extrovert personality, her boundless energy, her pleasant demeanor, and her intelligence were perfect for ensuring success. For over 20 years, she enjoyed most of the daily challenges of the endeavor. Daughter Patty, passionate about bookkeeping and inventory shopping, provided vital assistance.
Passion & Spirit –
Ruth had the good fortune to travel the world. She frequently returned with some souvenirs, but she mostly brought home new insights and fresh perspectives, enriching her daily life.
Her parents, Grover and Nannie, named her after Ruth of the Bible. Nannie told her she raised her to be that sort of person – pure, sweet and rising to an unselfish devotion and love. She also nurtured and treasured her extended family, even though they were 1200 miles away for over 50 years of her life. Commitment to the family always took the ‘front seat’; their well-being always was paramount.
Among her last wishes, she desired to traverse that span and be returned to her homeland. Her body now rests among her parents, her dear stepfather, and all her maternal aunts, uncle, and grandparents (Fisher and Clara Sayre) with which she grew up. The ashes of her “best friend and devoted companion in her final years,” Lucy, a short-hair cat, reside there, too. At the base of Crescent Hill Cemetery was her childhood home, however recently razed. She recalled she and her sister and cousins regularly pushing a lawn mower up “that hill” to care for the family plot.
Explore the site to see family photos, to visualize ancestry trans-Atlantic crossings, and to link to the expanded genealogical record.
James A Rothgeb, Son
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