Ruth Anne Black Obituary (1954

Ruth Anne Black, 70 of Normal passed away at OSF St. Josephs Medical Center in Bloomington, Illinois on October 27, 2024. Ruth was born in Lafayette, Indiana on March 26, 1954, to Phillip and Lola Barder Swank. Ruth Black was a sweet, caring woman. She cared equally for her husband, Kevin, and for her daughters, Emily Merriman and Audrey Mercer. Her greatest joy, however, was her five grandchildren - Emmett, Alana, and Daisy Merriman, and Eleanor and Margaret Mercer. Ruth enjoyed traveling, church, and visiting with friends. A visitation is planned for Sunday, November 3rd from 2-4 p.m. at College Park Christian Church, 116 N. Cottage Ave, Normal, Illinois. The memorial service will be at 10:30 a.m., Monday, November 4th, also at College Park Christian Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Kuki Christian Church Mission in northeast India. For the sake of convenience, checks may be made out to College Park Christian Church, with "Kuki Mission" on the memo line. Ruth is survived by her husband, Kevin Black, daughters Emily (Cory) Merriman and Audrey (John) Mercer, her grandchildren include Emmett, Alana, and Daisy Merriman & Eleanor and Margaret Mercer. All live in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. Ruth is also survived by brothers Donald and Steven (wife, Karen) Swank, and by sister-in-law, Catherine (Richard) Swank. Ruth was preceded in death by her father, Phillip A. Swank, who passed away in 1993. Ruth's older brother, Richard Swank passed away in 2010 (wife Catherine). Ruth's mother, Lola M. Swank, passed away October 24, 2024, preceding Ruth in death by just 3 days. Two grandchildren, Ella Anne and Emma Rose Merriman died at birth in 2013. Ruth attended and graduated from Southwestern High School in rural Tippecanoe County. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a BA degree, majoring in English education and minoring in Spanish. Ruth taught in different public schools in Illinois communities, at Lincoln College in Normal, Illinois, and she also taught Spanish to home school students. Ruth and her husband, Kevin, are members of College Park Christian Church in Normal, Illinois. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year. Ruth’s family and friends also celebrated Ruth’s 70th birthday in March. Ruth grew up on a farm in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. She was active in 4H and participated in county and state fairs. She also enjoyed participating in Pep Club at high school basketball games. Ruth and Kevin met while attending Purdue University. In addition to her teaching, Ruth was a stay-at-home mom during her children's younger years. Ruth sang in church choir and participated in Ladies Bible study. Ruth and Kevin enjoyed travel, including the continental U.S. as well as 2 trips to Costa Rica, 2 trips to Mexico, and a trip to Hawaii. Ruth also enjoyed sewing and cooking.