Fallon woman celebrates 100th birthday

Ruth Carter will celebrate her 100th birthday Tuesday, April 14.

Born in a farmhouse near the small town of Aubrey, Texas in 1920, Ruth grew up poor during the Great Depression. Despite great hardship, she was the first in her family to attend college.

Ruth married her husband of 69 years in 1941. They had one son.

She worked for a large insurance company in Dallas for 19 years during the 1950s and ‘60s.

She then worked at Texas Women's University 21 years in several administrative positions.

After retiring from the university at age 70, Ruth worked part time at the FEMA Disaster Center in Denton, Texas until age 81. Following the New Year's flood of 1997, at age 77 Ruth was dispatched to Reno and then to Carson City to help in setting up FEMA field offices and assisting flood victims.

She has been a member of the Krugerville (Texas) Planning Commission and Aubrey (Texas) Historical Society.

Ruth has traveled extensively over the years. She has visited most of Europe, the Holy Land, Egypt, Russia, Panama, Mexico, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, and several islands in the Caribbean.

After suffering a stroke in 2013, Ruth moved to Fallon to live with her son and daughter-in-law.

She became a resident of Highland Manor nursing home in 2014.

She participates in many of the activities provided by the nursing home and attends church at Oasis Community Church with her son and daughter-in-law.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she will not be allowed to have visitors to celebrate her birthday. Despite this, she shows her grit and optimism by saying we can have the celebration after the pandemic has subsided.