Ruth Snow Alden

October 17, 2017

Ruth Snow Alden (September 1, 1920 – October 17, 2017)

Charlotte - Ruth was born in Dyke, Virginia to the late Buey G. Snow and Lucy Anne Vernon Snow. She had fond memories of her early life on the farm. She attended Blue Ridge School and then Virginia Polytechnic Institute, where she was in the first graduating class of women in 1941. Ruth received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and moved to Danville, Virginia, where she worked for a child development program at the YMCA. It was there that she met her husband, William Franklin Alden, junior. They married in 1946 and moved to Wake Forest, North Carolina, where Bill finished college. Ruth worked for the Agricultural Extension Service as a Home Economist in nearby Warrenton. Her husband’s job with Blue Cross Blue Shield then brought them to Charlotte, North Carolina, where she settled and raised a family of four children.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Ruth served as the supervisor of the Day Care Unit at Mecklenburg Department of Social Services, where she inspired child care providers to strive for better quality. In the 1980s, she served as supervisor in the Foster Care Division, affecting the lives of thousands of children. Her dedication to her community was illustrated by regular sacrifices of personal time at night and on weekends. She worked at social services well beyond her retirement eligibility.

Following her retirement, Ruth was very active at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, coordinating weekly lunches for local Civitans as a fund raiser. She sang in the choir and was ever-present, supporting in many capacities. When St. Andrew’s church closed, Ruth and other parishioners were welcomed by Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, where Ruth again became a pillar of the church community.

Her life was one of service. To her family, friends, and community, Ruth was a shining example of her Christian faith. In her 90s, she was proud to say that she provided rides to the grocery store for “the elderly.”

She loved her house and her garden. Flowers were a special favorite. She was often found in the kitchen, preparing meals for others. Entertaining family and friends was one of her greatest joys, and family reunions were a highlight of each year for Ruth. She was looking forward to the 2018 gathering in May in Knoxville.

In addition to her husband, Ruth was preceded in death by two brothers, Vernon and Beauregard Snow, and sisters, Velma Barnett, Eugenia Adams, and Lois Curtis. She is survived by four children, Kitty Megorden and her husband, Dick, Trip Alden and his wife, Kathy, and John Alden and his wife, Linda, Vickie Brys and her husband, Mario; nine grandchildren; five great-grandchildren and her sister, Cornelia Mathews

A celebration of her life will be held Sunday, October 22 at 3:00 PM at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Kitchen Fund at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 1900 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC 28205.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences can be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.

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Comments

  • Lena Lytle

    Ms. Ruth was a wonderful lady It was my pleasure to have met/known her. I will sincerely miss her presence.You have my sincere and heartfelt condolences.

  • Mary Holbrook Rice

    Ruth was a special lady! Everyone who knew her loved her. She was a very dear friend of my mother's, Evelyn Holbrook, for over sixty years. I've known Ruth my whole life and every time I saw her she was smiling. I know there's a welcome home party going on in Heaven with all the family and St. Andrews friends who went before her!