Ruth Ellen Collins Barnard

Mrs. Ruth Ellen Collins Barnard, 96, of 110 Panhandle Lane, Mount Airy, went to her immortal home on Sunday morning, August 23, 2009, at the Joan and Howard Woltz Hospice Home in Dobson. Mrs. Barnard was born June 12, 1913, in Surry County, to the late Robert Sanford and Rosa Ella Wood Collins. She retired from Spencer's Inc. after 33 years of service and was a lifetime member of Woodville Baptist Church. She is survived by two daughters, Brenda Leigh Smith and Bonnie Faye Snody, both of Mount Airy; a stepdaughter, Jo Ann Ayers of Claudville, VA; a stepson, Bill Barnard of Ararat, VA; seven grandchildren, Rebecca Ellen Snody of Winston-Salem, Eddie Snody, Vivienne Snody Badgett, Janet Leigh Coble, and Pamela Faye Smith, all of Mount Airy, Jacqueline Snody Fayne of North Topsail Island, and Mack B. Stanley of Scappoose, OR; two stepgrandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; two great-stepgrandchildren; six great-great-grandchildren; a sister, Virginia B. Love of Mount Airy; and a special friend, Steven Troychak. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Barnard was preceded in death by her first husband, Fred M. Cook; her second husband, William Barnard; and two sisters, Thelma Beasley and Eunice Arrington. A memorial tribute will be held Wednesday, August 26, 2009, at 2:00 PM at Woodville Baptist Church, with the Rev. Keith Love officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends Wednesday from 12:30 PM until the time of the service at Woodville Baptist Church. Memorial contributions can be made to the Woodville Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, c/o R.G. Collins, 1591 Toms Creek Road, Pilot Mountain, NC 27041; or to Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care, 401 Technology Lane, Suite 200, Mount Airy, NC 27030.