Ruth Mardell Wright, 89, of Savoy passed away on November 22, 2013 at the Piatt County Nursing Home in Monticello. A visitation will be held at Renner-Wikoff Chapel, 1900 S. Philo Road, Urbana, on Friday, November 29, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., followed by a funeral service with Pastor Dan King-Crede officiating. Burial will be at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Kankakee Memorial Gardens.

She was born February 17, 1924, in Kankakee to Rutherford C. and Martha (Foreman) Barton. She married Robert B. Wright, Jr. in DeSoto, Illinois on March 13, 1948. He passed away August 4, 1987.

Ruth was a graduate of Kankakee High School and graduated from the St. Mary's Hospital School of Nursing in 1945 as a registered nurse and nurse cadet. She served in many capacities and in many locations during her nursing career, from Director of Nursing at Herrin Hospital IL, to school and public health nursing positions in Barry County, MI. In later years, she worked as the safety officer at a large construction site in San Francisco, CA and as an RN at a nursing home in Jeffersonville, IN.

She was an active member of the United Methodist Church wherever she resided: Illinois, Michigan, California, and Indiana. She attended Wesley United Methodist Church in Urbana since moving to Savoy in 2005. She had a lifelong love of music and was an accomplished singer. In her early years, she performed on the radio in Southern Illinois and always served her church as a soloist, choir member, and sometimes choir director.

Ruth spent her life caring for others as a loving mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, and nurse. Many beloved dogs and cats brought her companionship and comfort throughout her life. In her later years, she found joy in travel, the occasional chocolate-covered cherry, bird watching, Sudoku, reading Guidepost magazine, and watching Lawrence Welk and other favorite TV shows. Survivors include her children, Nona Wright of Phoenix, Arizona, Deirdre Breeding (Bill) of Champaign, R. Barton Wright (Jolyn) of Ann Arbor, Mich. and Greg Wright of Hastings, Mich., six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her beloved sister, June N. Barton.

Memorial contributions may be made to WesCare or the Parish Nurse Program at Wesley United Methodist Church in Urbana.