Mrs. Mary Ruth Liles Chasteen, 94, of Fitzgerald, died Tuesday, September 15, 2015, at The Medical Center in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Funeral services will be held 3 PM, Saturday, September 19, 2015, at Arbor Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Lloyd Stembridge officiating. Her son, the Honorable Robert W. Chasteen, Jr., will give the eulogy. Interment will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 1 PM until 2:30 PM in the sanctuary of the church on Saturday.
Mrs. Chasteen was born September 27, 1920 to Eula Mildred Blackwell Liles and Melvin Powell Liles of Fitzgerald. She attended Fitzgerald schools graduating from Fitzgerald High School in 1937. Following her marriage to Robert Wymer Chasteen, she worked at various textile businesses in Fitzgerald including Perfect Pants Inc., Monarch Company, H.R. Kaminsky and Sons, and SWS.
“Miss Ruth” was a hard worker all her life starting with her work on the family farm. She helped her father and mother with farm chores and learned the art of cooking from her mother. During her high school years when her father ran Liles Dairy, she started her day at 3:00 A.M. milking cows, processing and bottling milk, and delivering it to doorsteps before arriving at school at 8:00 A.M.
Following her retirement from SWS, she enjoyed volunteering as a “Sample Lady” at Winn Dixie and being a Walmart greeter until her health failed. She was an active Pink Lady for the Dorminy Medical Center Auxiliary from 1993-2009 and honorary from 2009 to present. She accumulated 2692 hours of service. She enjoyed singing each week at nursing homes and revivals with the Bernhardt Singers and working at Arbor Baptist Church as a nursery worker, member of Young at Heart, and member of the choir.
Her hobbies included playing Skipbo with friends, creating ceramic items; crocheting and knitting ; and cooking .During football season, she enjoyed watching UGA games on TV and listening to the Purple Hurricanes on the Friday night radio show. Her most wonderful gift to the sick, bereaved, and shut ins was her delicious pound cakes. She considered baking and delivering them as her witness to others. A devout Christian, her days began with reading the Bible and beginning her daily walk with the Lord she loved. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.
Survivors include: Son, Robert W. (Margaret) Chasteen, Jr., Fitzgerald; Elaine Chasteen (Alton) Bailey, Bowling Green, KY; grandchildren: Ginny Lynn Chasteen, Fitzgerald; Melanie C. (Ashley) Moorman, Valdosta; Scott (Ashley) Bailey, Louisville, KY; and Josh Bailey, Bowling Green. Great-grandchildren: Ashton, Bay, and Mills Moorman, Valdosta; and Anell Bailey, Louisville, KY; and a sister-in-law, Gerry Liles, Raleigh, NC. Several nieces and nephews survive. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by two brothers, Melvin P. Liles, Jr. and Carl B. Liles.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory can be made to Arbor Baptist Church, 1137 N. Merrimac Drive, Fitzgerald, GA 31750; Ben Hill-Irwin Gideons, P.O. Box 752, Fitzgerald, GA 31750; and Dorminy Medical Center Pink Ladies Auxiliary, P.O. Box 1447, Fitzgerald, GA 31750.