- Date Of Birth: June 4th, 1928
- Date Of Death: February 7th, 2015
- State: Indiana
Ruth B. McClung of Unionville, passed from this life in the arms of loved ones February 7, 2015 at Garden Villa, Bloomington.
Ruth was born to the late Calvin and Alta Mae (Martin) Baxter June 4, 1928 in the Knightridge community of Monroe County. Ruth was a proud grandmother, faithful wife, and loving mother in addition to being an excellent cook. She will be remembered for her smile, her willingness to help those in need, and for her lovely alto voice. She loved studying the Bible and spent many years as a Sunday School teacher and member of the Bridge Church of Christ. Ruth’s childhood was rough since her mother died when she was 3, her dad when she was 12, and her grandmother Mahaly (Head) Baxter when she was 15, yet she survived with the love of her brothers, her deep faith, and her singing ability. At 19 she was singing with Bob Hardy and the Country Cousins on the local radio W9XHZ when she was introduced to the love of her life, Dale McClung, another singer.
After a six month courtship, Dale and Ruth married in January 1948 and continued their singing as Uncle Dale and Aunt Ruth on WTTS radio and WTTV, at the Monroe County and Indiana State Fair, at military bases during the Korean War, and throughout the Midwest as part of the Happy Valley Show and Happy Valley Four gospel quartet. In their retirement years they continued singing at nursing homes throughout the area as part of the Country Dreamers until Dale’s death in 2012, and 64 years of marriage. Ruth made and maintained many lifelong friends from the one room Knightridge School in addition to those from the many jobs she held over her lifetime including RCA, Home Laundry, and Sarkes Tarzian where she was a specification analyst until 1972. To work with Dale she became office manager for Sunray DX, later Johnson Oil Company, from 1972 to 1990 until retirement as fulltime grandparents.
In addition to her parents, Ruth was preceded in death by her brothers and sisters-in law Bill (Leota) Baxter, Ray (Carolyn) Baxter and her double cousin Don (Opal) Baxter as well as Dale’s brother Earl (Florence) McClung and her father and mother-in-law Lewis Edwin and Gertie McClung.
Survivors include one daughter, Brenda (Dave) Polley with their son Matthew Polley of Bloomington, and one son, Robert (Janis) McClung with their sons Michael (Lindsay) and Kevin McClung. She is also survived by close family friends Sharon Metcalf and the Ron Adamson family in addition to nieces and nephews Jack Baxter, Sandra Barkes, Bill Baxter, Jane Parsley, Joyce Hoene, Ruth Hunt, Judy Shultz, Shirley Winders, Randy Baxter, Roger Baxter, Sherry Mobley, Shanta Baxter, and Nancy Ruggles.
