Obituary of Ruth Wood Harmening

Ruth Wood Harmening, age 89, of Addielou, passed away June 13, 2011, at Bentwood Nursing Center, Paris, Texas. Mrs. Harmening was born May 13, 1922, in the Addielou Community of Red River County to A.B. and Bettie Moore Wood. She was a longtime member and Sunday School Teacher at Leesville Baptist Church. She married O.P. Harmening on December 23, 1951. He preceded her in death in 1987. She was also preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Clem and Alvin Wood. Survivors include one son, Boyd Harmening and wife Teresa of Addielou; and two grandchildren, Tanner Harmening and Kiley Harmening, both of Addielou. Funeral services are set for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, June 16, 2011, at the Leesville Baptist Church with Rev. Jimmy Ellis and Rev. Jerry Boyd officiating. Burial will follow in Leesville Cemetery under the direction of Clarksville Funeral Home. The family will receive friends Wednesday night from 6 to 8 at Clarksville Funeral Home. Serving as Pallbearers are: Clint Whittle, Tony Whittle, Roger Edwards, Robert Hall, Mike Williams, Robert Williams , Ronnie Chappel and Kyle Taylor. Serving as Honorary Pallbearers are M.D. Whittle, Bobby Ray, Calvin Gibson, Bill Janeway, Sam Burton and Jim Gatlin. Mrs. Harmening was graduated from East Texas State Teachers College in Commerce in 1942 with a B.S. degree in Elementary Education. She returned home to Addielou and began her teaching career in the little two teacher school she had attended in her childhood. In 1945 Mrs. Harmening went to teach at Dimple ISD and resumed her studies at ETST College during the summers to earn her Master’s Degree in 1948. That fall she began teaching third grade in Clarksville ISD. For one term in 1961, Mrs. Harmening taught in Detroit ISD then back to her third grade job in Clarksville. She retired from there in May 1977 having taught a total of thirty-five years. After retiring, Mrs. Harmening continued to make a garden, do yard work, sew, quilt, read, baby sit and just any job that needed doing in her family, church and community.