Ruth Helen Lemon

Ruth Helen Lemon entered eternal life with her Savior Jesus Christ on August 23, 2023. Ruth and husband Merle spent most of their years living on a small farm west of Roodhouse, Illinois. Their retirement years were spent living on South Westgate in Jacksonville, Illinois; in camper trailers as they ministered with RVICS; in Smithville, Texas; and finally in Bradley, Illinois. She was born September 28, 1937 in Belleville, Illinois to Arthur “Ottie” and Elsie (Weidemann) Herold. She attended Belleville schools and junior college before transferring to Illinois State Normal University where she met Merle. They were married early in their senior year on October 11, 1958 at Oak Grove Baptist in rural Roodhouse, Illinois. It was at this church that she soon gave her life to Jesus and was baptized in a nearby pond. When they moved to their farm in 1964 Ruth began teaching that fall for the North Greene School District as a music teacher. Over the years she was a classroom teacher in all grades Kindergarten through Fifth in White Hall, Hillview, St. John’s Carrollton, and Roodhouse before retiring in 2002. Ruth was a classically trained and gifted vocalist presenting many programs, directing the North Greene Area Singers and serving as song leader and choir director at several area churches. Despite battling Parkinson’s disease Ruth continued to work in children’s ministries. She is survived by her husband, Merle Lemon; daughter, Marcia (Jamey) Brandt of Bradley, Illinois; and son, John (Diane) Lemon of Venice, Florida. She fiercely loved and supported her grandchildren; Laura (Chad) Meents, Bryan (Karissa) Lemon, Karen Brandt, and David (Brenn) Lemon. She made quilts for each of her great-grandchildren: Clark, Lucas, Eliza Ruth, Louis, and Graham. She is preceded in death by her sister Alice Williams of Davenport, Iowa. A gathering will be held on September 16, 2023 at First Baptist in Jacksonville from 2:00-4:00 pm. Not a funeral service, but an informal time of fellowship will be held in Ruth’s memory so friends and family can gather to share hugs, memories, and eat sweets. Bring your stories or any of her many jokes you remember to share with one another. Her ashes will later be laid to rest in the Williams Edwards Cemetery, west of Barrow, in a private gathering. If you wish to honor Ruth with a memorial, please direct it to the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Illinois or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (P.O. Box 5014 Hagerstown, MD 21741)