The Essence Of Her Life & Spirit, A Celebration of Life, for Mrs. Lura Ruth Bowden, Sunrise: November 27, 1922, Sunset: December 20, 2009, "The memory of the righteous is a blessing ..." - Proverbs 10:7, Saturday, December 26, 2009, 11:00 A.M., Rice Memorial Presbyterian Church, Westhills Presbyterian Church, Pastor David D. Bowie, Pastor Marinda Harris, 1515 Brewer Blvd. S.W., Atlanta, Georgia

HE ESSENCE

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Sunrise: November 27, 1922

Sunset: December 20, 2009

"The memory ofthe righteous t.s a blesst.ng... "
-Proverbs 10:7
Saturday, December 26, 2009 11:00 A.M.
Rice Memorial Presbyterian Church Westhills Presbyterian Church
Pastor David D. Bowie Pastor Marinda Harris 1515 Brewer Blvd. S.W.
Atlanta, Georgia

"The memory ofthe righteous is a blessing. " -Proverbs 10:7
ura .Ruth Montgomery Bowden, a precious soul in God's vineyard, passed from life to eternity on December 20, 2009. She fell to her demise in her home immediately after rendering her final earthly Christian service as a musician in God's sanctuary of
worship.
On November 27, 1922, an airlift liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliii;i-J
descended from Heaven on angel's wings. The angel courier had a special delivery to Cornelia and Oscar Montgomery. It was a joyous gift of life-a beautiful baby princess that would be their only daughter. She was given the name, Lura Ruth. She was fortunately nurtured under the gentle care and spiritual leadership of her maternal grandparents, the late Rosetta and G.W. Gideon. In this L~;;!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~ setting, she learned the Divine spiritual precepts that shaped her devout faith and strong belief in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. A host of other maternal aunts and uncles helped to spun her in to a courageous young woman of God with a serious commitment as a servant in God's kingdom from an early age to her earthly transition.
Her name, "Baby Ruth" was a family favorite earned by her humble demeanor and "sweet spirit." She was blessed with a "kid" brother, Robert Montgomery, sixteen years her junior, whom she later became surrogate mother to at the death of their beloved mother. Robert (Bob) preceded her in death several years ago.
On May -7, 1944, Ruth was united in holy matrimony to Willie E. Bowden, Sr. the love of her life, for sixty-five years. Willie and Ruth grew up as friends in a spiritual community. They were nurtured in the gospel under the leadership of her grandfather, "PaPa," the late G. W. Gideon, pastor emeritus, of Rice Memorial Presbyterian Church. The happy couple was blessed with four beautiful children to enrich their lives: Jacqueline Juanita Crawford (Don), Willie Eli Bowden, Jr. (Michelle), Martha Christine Scott (Benjamin), and Inez Lucretia Lampkin (Essex).

dditionally, God graced her with eight grandchildren who were the apple of her eye. Willie E. Bowden III 'Chiefy', Tomeka L. Scott 'Mikki', Darryl Turner, Earl G. Buck 'Bucky', Jamilia R. Scott Fortune (Chaz), Essex. B Lampkin IV 'Bart' (Nichole), Michael A. Bowden (Amber), Xavier Lampkin, and Zachery Lampkin. She was continuously favored with great-grands that were her treasures: Erica, Nyonnah, Jaden, Justin, Noah, Zoe, Chaz, Chandler, Chai, Jamarri, Anthony, Jamariah, and Darryl.
Believing that "friendship is like kinship," Ruth was a "community mother" to several special adopted children
and grandchildren: Demetrius and Gwendolyn Ward, Odis Brower, Zelda Kennedy, Tommy and Simone Mitchell, Dexter Foreman, James Huff, Eric and Wanda Careton, Nancy Hom, Tony Turner, Stanley Knighton and Komi Nebel. She was a very devoted adopted sister to Rosa Mae Johnson and Eloise Young, as well as to Betty Blair.
An unyielding love and sistership existed between Arthur Lee Williams (J.D.) and Ruth. She was also a devoted sister-in-law to Nancy Montgomery, Christine Warner (Walt) and the late Ernest and Margaret Nesbitt.
Ruth attended Atlanta Public Schools and the Macon Academy for the blind. She labored as a kindergarten music teacher at the Rice Memorial Presbyterian Church with the late Christine Chapell. She worked as a church musician for several Atlanta churches, serving at the
Tabernacle Baptist Church, just a couple of hours before her death. She was an active church and civic personality who ardently labored in the interest of advancing human and civil rights for the visually impaired. During her daylight years, she served as the president of World Day of Prayer, was active in the Women of the Church at both Rice and Westhills Presbyterian Churches, and the director of the youth and adult choirs at an early juncture in her life at Rice Memorial.

She served several terms as President of the Association for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. She worked at the P. J. Woods Center for the Blind assisting other visually impaired with life and business skills. She also was a leader in at home devotional classes with Willie on Saturday evenings. Ruth was an active voice for the visually impaired and planned annual spiritually invigorating New Year's services and fellowship dinners for the blind and physically handicapped at Rice Memorial Presbyterian Church. She was one of two visually impaired individuals who were selected by MARTA Transportation to test the safety and appropriateness of the train rail for accommodating the transportation needs for its blind
passengers. Ruth studied voice lessons and performed as an artist of gospel music on many radio and television programs, including the Zenobia Clayton Show. She also trained her husband and children to sing together for church and community programs, and at family gatherings. She inspired family sing-a-longs at every family gathering. Ruth boasted of several special nephews: the late "Bobby" Jr., Eric, Brian and Jeffery Montgomery, Johnny Daniel (Maggie), and one special niece, Sherry Sanders, as well as a host of other nieces and nephews. Ruth enjoyed filling her days with scripture and devotional readings, listening to and playing the piano, as well as daily communication with family and friends. She was a
shining light in every audience that she graced. She was a life anchor for her children and the family's bridge of hope. She was her husband's essential complement. Her soul has been anchored in the Lord and her steps ordered by Him from life to eternity. She is now resting ~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!!!!1 in Abraham's Bosom, awaiting the "Great Getting Up Morning" when the dead in Christ will arise to meet Jesus and abide with Him forever. As we let you go, please know: We hold you close within our hearts, and there you will remain, to walk with us throughout our lives. Until we meet again. Ruth touched hearts everyday of her eighty-seven years; she "never let her handicap become a handitrap." Jesus provided her the courage and faith to live in abundant joy.
07/Wm

Reverend David Bowie
Reverend Tommie Mitchell
Reverend Henry A. Johnson Mr. 0. J. Brower Darryl Turner
. Rosetta Fears, As a Family Member . Jamilia Fortune, As a Family Member Pastor Etta Weaver, As a disciple ofChrist Mrs. Simone Mitchell, As a disciple ofChrist
Ms. Rosa Mae Johnson, As a Friend
(Best Friend and Adopted Sister)
ise" softly played
Dr. Samuel Clemons, Guest Soloist Could Have Made It Without You "
Murray Brothers Funeral Home Staff "Soon and Very Soon"

My wife, our mother, our grandmother, was a person extraordinary. She had a gift and a talent for touching lives by loving and mentoring to the soul and needs of people in her life. Her husband, her children, and her other family and friends were blessed by her specialness. She was remarkably blessed and she was a great blessing.
"Muh," (as we affectionately called her) had the gift of a "magic touch" that could soothe every ache and pain, No matter what it was. She mended our spiritual, physical and emotional hurts with the special balm contained in her healing hands and heart. God anointed and appointed her time and service on earth.
As children, The Bowden's never experienced the blindness that one would imagine from having a visually handicapped mother. She took care of the early childhood educational Christian education, physical and spiritual needs of our home and family. We often said, "She was not blind, she just could not see physical things."
Ruth Bowden, you are the wind beneath our wings, you are the Rock of Gibraltar, and you are the heart and soul of our family. You are the string chord that binds us as "the we's and the us's" in all our earthly trials and tribulations. Missing your wisdom and your laughter is so painful, BUT, you gave us the courage to endure and the patience to go on. Rest in peace until tomorrow when we shall meet again on that Great Getting Up Morning when we shall meet again to answer the final call for our eternity. Thanks for giving us the best of you to live in us for our continued life journeys. We will keep your light shining through our deeds and services as our living legacy with sorrowful hearts and lots of love to you!
~~
Bubby, Jacqueline (Donald), Chief (Michelle), Martha (in retrospective remembrance)
(Ben), Lucretia (Essex), Chiefy, Mikki, Bucky, Meya (Chaz), Bart (Nicole), Michael
(Amber), Xavier, Zachery, and all of your great-grandchildren.

~~~~
Rice I Westhills Women of the Church
~~
Willie E. Bowden III Earl Buck, Jr.
Essex B. Lampkin IV Michael Bowden Xavier Lampkn Zachery Lampkin Daryl Turner
a-~~
The family of Ruth Bowden would like to thank everyone for the love and support you have given to "Muh" throughout her blessed life. We appreciate you and we love you all.
West View Cemetery 1680 Ralph David Abernathy
Atlanta, Georgia
Rice Memorial Presbyterian Church
MURRAY BROTHERS CASCADE CHAPEL 404-349-3000
~~~tG::: 404.755.0965

When I am through with this old clay house ofmine, When no more guide lights through the windows shine,
Just box it up, and lay it away, With the other clay houses ofyesterday;
And with it, my friends, do try ifyou can,
To bury the wrongs since first I began To live in this house, bury deep andforget--
I want to be square and our ofyour debt, When I meet the grand Architect Supreme
Face to face I want to be clean. Ofcourse I know it's not too late to mend A bad builded house when we come to the end But you who are building -just look over mine And make your alterations while there is time; Just study this house, - no tears should be shed, It's like my clay house when the tenant has fled. I have lived in this house many days all alone, Just waiting, and oh, how I long to go home. Don't misunderstand me; this old world divine, With love, birds, andflowers, and glorious sunshine Is a wondeiful place and a wondeiful plan, And a wondeiful, wondeiful gift to man. Yet somehow we feel when the cycle's complete There are dear ones across we are anxious to meet; So we open the books and check up the past, Each item is checked; each page must be clean, It's the passport we carry to our builder Supreme; So when I am through with this old house ofclay
Just box it up and lay it away; For the Builder has promised when this house is spent,
To have one allfinished with timber I sent While I lived here in this one. Ofcourse it will be
Exactly as I have builded; you see It's the kind ofmaterial we each send across,
And ifwe build poorly, 'tis our loss.
You ask what materials we each send across, 'Twas told you long since, by the Great Architect:
''A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another, as I have loved you. "
So the finest material to send up above
Is clear, straight grained timber ofBROTHERLY LOVE.
S. Joseph Monck