Mrs. Ruth Ann Sommer, 82, of Bristol, passed away peacefully following a brief illness on Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 1:30 pm at Elkhart General Hospital.

She was born on June 13, 1941 in Petoskey, Michigan to the late Jacob B. and Blanche (Niswander) Garver, Sr. and was the faithful and loving wife of Ronald G. Sommer, whom she married in Petoskey on July 30th, 1960. He survives at home after 63 wonderful years together.

Also surviving are Ruth's children Eric (Carrie) and Mark Sommer, both of Elkhart, Steve (Amy) Sommer of Bradenton, Florida and Kristi (Paul Slagel) Sommer and Debbie (Tony) Maurer, also both of Elkhart; her sister Linda Curtiss of Mishawaka; sister-in-law Rachel Garver of Ft. Myers, Florida; 18 grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren (plus one on the way) and 2 great-great grandchildren. Ruth is also preceded in death by her parents, brother Jacob B. Garver, Jr., and brother-in-law John Curtiss.

Ruth was a prolific and long-time provider of home child day-care for countless local families spanning over several generations. She took care of folks from diapers to grade school. Many former "customers" had Ruth look after their own children and grandchildren. In fact, when she was younger, she enjoyed doing this so much that she was even the Nursery Director for 15 year at her Redeemer Missionary church.

She was a talented and innovative cook, and just loved trying new recipes that she found in various cookbooks. Ronald absolutely loved her cooking, but his only complaint was that whenever she made something that he really liked, there was a definite possibility she couldn't find the recipe again within her vast collection of cookbooks. She was also an avid backyard bird watcher and was always checking on her feathered friends to make sure they had enough feed and who was visiting her feeders. In her free time, you could find Ruth doing her cross-stitch, perusing assorted magazines to find things to order, watching "Wheel Of Fortune", rooting for her beloved Chicago Cubs, and squishing the beach sand in between her toes down at Gulf Shores, Alabama. She was a member of Beulah Missionary Church.

Ruth was a caring and loving lady who adored her family and had a special spot in her heart for all children. She was loved and admired by her family and will always be remembered for her huge heart and her warm and "home-made" ways.

Visitation for Ruth will be held on Monday, February 12, 2024 from 4-7 pm at Beulah Missionary Church, 57595 Old CR 17, Goshen (Elkhart).  Services will continue there the next day (Tuesday, February 13, 2024) at 11:00 am, with visitation starting at 10 am. Pastor Kelley Sewell of Beulah will officiate, and a private burial will follow at Chapel Hill.

Memorial donations may be given to Beulah Missionary Church in Ruth's memory.

Beulah Missionary Church
57595 Old County Road 17, Goshen IN 46528
Tel: 1-574-875-6537
Web: http://beulahchurch.org