Ruth Ann (Gann) Prince was born on July 26, 1928, in Greenwood, Arkansas. Ruth had three brothers and two sisters (Ray, Orin, Gene, Mildred, and Faye), all of which preceded her in death. They were very poor family, living in a tent with a dirt floor for much of her childhood. Her father passed away when Ruth was only 5 years old, and she grew up with her siblings, her mother Lilly, and her stepfather, Gus.

When she was a teenager, the family moved to California, for the more economic opportunity. She was picking tomatoes in California's Salinas Valley when she met her future husband, Fletcher Lee Prince. Mom married Dad on October 7, 1946. They were married for 71 years, until dad passed away in 2018. They had three children, Jim, LaDonna, and Rob. In addition, Ruth had 10 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren, and 5 great great grandchildren.

The thing Ruth enjoyed most was spending time with children. She was always ready to play games, cards, dominoes, doing whatever games she could to entertain children. She also loved family get-togethers for meals. Food, and the preparation of food for her family, was a hugely important thing in her life. She was an excellent baker, making pies and cakes for all occasions. Mom also enjoyed camping because that would bring the family together for a few days. She water skied, on doubles for many years, but she was determined to slalom ski. It took may, many hard falls, but she finally learned how to slalom ski at the age of 61 years old. We were very proud of her!!

Ruth passed away peacefully at Brookstone Memory Care Center in Salem, OR on May 4, 2021. She was much loved by many and will be greatly missed.