Ruthene Jaye (Cruce) Pearson

Ruthene Jaye Pearson (nee Cruce) was born May 31, 1918 to Sam and Anna Barnett Cruce in Paris, Illinois. As a small child, she moved to Columbus, Ohio with her family and attended Columbus Public Schools. Ruthene answered the call to discipleship at an early age and became a baptized member of the Mt. Vernon Avenue African Methodist Episcopal Church, in 1929, under the pastorate of Rev. J. O. Haithcox. In 1934, she wed Wyman Moss Shelton and to this union, one son, Ray, was born. She later met Glenn L. Pearson with whom she was united in holy matrimony from November 1951 until the time of his passing on January 12, 2009. Ruthene, fondly remembered and revered by many as Mrs. Pearson, “Mother Pearson”, or Grandma, left an everlasting impression on everyone she met. She was especially instrumental in helping to shape the lives and futures of countless young people with whom she came in contact down through the years. Mrs. Pearson retired from the Columbus Board of Education after thirty-two years of leadership excellence at Champion Junior High School where she had been employed as the school secretary. Years later, she was selected as an inductee to the school's Hall of Champions. In her retirement, she remained fully engaged in the work of the church and the community. Amidst providing childcare, music lessons or musical accompaniment, tutoring, leading prayer meetings and Bible study groups, and participating in numerous volunteer endeavors, Ruthene was also an active member and officer of the Helen Jenkins Davis Lunch Bunch until her aging frame and her husband’s declining health prevented her regular participation. Ruthene Pearson was a walking library… a wealth of knowledge in a tiny package. She imparted so much wisdom, and be it academic, biblical, musical, or simply the World According to Ruthene, you can best believe she had the resources to back it up. Through nearly ten decades, just two years short of a century, Grandma Pearson kept up with the changing times and embraced many technological advances, including the personal computer, email, and cellular phones, yet she managed to hold on to some of her more traditional methodology such as good, old fashioned letter writing, and the lost art of “short hand.” She enjoyed reading, traveling, Bible trivia, game shows, crossword puzzles, sewing, knitting and crocheting. She delighted in getting out to a movie or concert from time to time, and would never pass up getting treated to a good meal, especially if mashed potatoes or fried potatoes were involved. And, if dessert was available, she would typically indulge before completing the main course. Often quiet and unassuming, she had a certain wittiness about her and an ever-so-sly knack for getting you told without ever raising her voice or uttering a fowl word. But, above all, she was a God-fearing, Christian woman who was a faithful believer and prayer warrior yet until the morning she was called Home to rest in the arms of her Savior. On Monday, August 8, 2016, at the age of 98, Ruthene Jaye Pearson died peacefully while at the Isabelle Ridgway Care Center in Columbus. In addition to her parents and her husband, Glenn, she was preceded in death by her son, Ray B. Moss, Sr., and surrogate daughter, Phyllis C. Diehl. She is survived by her grandson, Ray B. “Arby” Moss, Jr., and daughter-in-law, Dorothy “Dot” Crump, both of Thorneville, Ohio; sister-in-law, Shirley Drew; and a host of nieces, nephews, and great nieces and -nephews. Also remaining are the members of her extended family circle including, Ingrid Diehl Family, Jayme Smoot Family, Gloria Jones, Joyce Hopkins, Bobby Johnson Family, Stan Clara Cartwright, and Floyd Meeks; longtime, special friends, Lorraine Butler, Rev. and Mrs. Rayford Harper, and many other loved ones, church family, and friends.