My Beautiful Mother.
Ruth 'Ruthie/Dude' was the youngest of eight children born to:
E. F. (Edward Floyd) Lewis, b. May 26, 1880 in Urbana, Champaign co., IL. and d. Nov. 19, 1960 in Long Beach, L.A. co., CA. &
Ethel (Godfrey) Lewis Harwood, b. Sep. 21, 1885 in L.A., L.A., CA. and d. Dec. 24, 1965 in San Gabriel, L.A., CA.
E.F. and Ethel Lewis' children were:
1. Floyd Addison Lewis, b. Aug. 9, 1907 in L.A., L.A., CA. and d. Apr. 23, 1984 in L.A., L.A., CA.
2. Thomas Edwin Lewis, b. Feb. 22, 1909 in L.A. co., CA. and d. Aug. 2, 1979 in San Francisco, San Francisco co., CA.
3. James Earl Lewis, b. Apr. 19, 1912 in L.A. co., CA. and d. Aug. 6, 1996 in San Gabriel, L.A., CA.
4. Stanley Jackson Lewis, b. Oct. 17, 1914 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles co., CA. and d. Jul. 7, 1978 in San Diego co., CA.
5. Dorothy 'Dodie' Lewis (twin), b. Jan. 19, 1916 in L. A., L.A., CA. and d. Dec. 11, 1990 in Pasadena, L.A., CA.
6. Marjorie Lewis(twin), b. Jan. 19, 1916 in L.A., L.A., CA. and d. Feb. 22, 2007 in Polk County, NC.
7. Ethel Lewis, b. Oct. 24, 1918 in Los Angeles, L.A., CA. at 2:15 a.m. and died the same day at 8:10 a.m. at Angelus hospital in Los Angeles, L.A., CA.
8. Ruth Cora Lewis, b. Oct. 19, 1921 in L.A., CA. and d. in Cardiff by the Sea, San Diego, CA.
Ruth Lewis attended El Monte High School in El Monte, L.A., CA.
In 1939, Ruth Lewis was a senior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and living with her sister, Dodie and brother-in-law, Vondale 'Bondy' Lamon, helping to take care of their twins, Von and Dale Lamon.
Oct. 30, 1942 - FLYING OFFICER (accompanied by a photo of D.M. Perdew) - Denning M. Perdew, of 1673 Archibald avenue, Alta Loma, is today a second lieutenant in the United State Army Air force after receiving his commission and silver wings Friday at Williams Field, Phoenix, Ariz.
Lieut. Perdew if the son of Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Perdew, and is a graduate of Chaffey high school and junior college, completing his work at the latter institution in June, 1941.
While at Chaffey he majored in mathematics and science and also tok the Civil Aeronautics Authority course both years he attended junior college.
He will now report to Salt Lake where he will be assigned to a flight squadron for duty.
On May 7, 1946, Ruth C. Lewis and Denning M. Perdew were married by Gene Ward, Justice of the Peace at the Court House (one block South Fremont between Second and Third) in Las Vegas, Clark County, NV.
From a May 14, 1946 greeting card 'Dude' gave her new husband, 'Doc/Jack'.
The outside of the card reads: "On Our Wedding Anniversary".
On the inside, she wrote:
"Darling, a week of heaven, what a wonderful beginning. I'll always love you honey, just as I do now, on our first week of marriage.
Always, Dude"
-And she did! -Dude and Jack were just as much in love, their entire lives.
From a June 7, 1946 greeting card to her husband:
The outside of the card reads: With Love to My Husband On Our Anniversary.
On the inside, she wrote: "Even after a whole month, I love you with all my heart! Always, your wife, Dude.
199 yrs. and 11 mo. to go. -Think you can stick it out?"
Clippings from the Dude's scrapbook:
Capt. Perdew Reports For Duty At Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. - Capt. Denning M. Perdew, of 1673 Archibald avenue, Alta Loma, Calif., has reported to 14th Air Force headquarters at Orlando, Fla., for duty as chief special weapons branch, 14th Air Force officials announced today.
Captain Perdew has just completed a chemical school at Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Mass. (Mississippi).
His new assignment also marks a return to his old wartime outfit, the 14th Air Force. As a member of the 11th Bomb Squadron of the 14th Air Force with headquarters in China, during the war, Captain Perdew flew 54 missions in his 11 months overseas. For meritorious combat services, he has received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.
With him at his new station are his wife, the former Ruth C. Lewis of Rosemead, Calif., and two children, Brenda, 9, and Denny, 2. They are residing at 675 Minnesota avenue, Winter Park, Fla.
Out of Florida, just before the hurricane struck, are Capt. and Mrs. Denning Perdew and children, Brenda and Denny. They are at the home of Mrs. Perdew's mother, Mrs. Ethel Harwood. Capt. Denning leaves from San Francisco, Sept. 15 for Okinawa and his wife and children will join him when they receive orders from the government.
Mrs. D. M. Perdew, daughter of Mrs. Ethel Harwood of Earle St. was in her own "seventh heaven" last week when she received a telephone call via radio from her husband, Captain Denning M. Perdew from Okinawa. Capt. Perdew has been stationed in Okinawa for the past ten months and is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his wife and two children, Brenda, 9, and Denny, 2, as they plan to leave Rosemead and set sail for the distant shore within the next two months. He reports there are three first grades already established there and construction has already begun on a typhoon proof housing project.
Capt. Denning M. Perdew who is stationed on Okinawa with the Air Force, recently flew to Guam. While there he had a nice visit with Lt. and Mrs. Arthur Hughes, also of the Air Force. Capt. Perdew and Lt. Hughes are friends of long standing, having gone through school together.
Mrs. Perdew and children, Brenda and Denny, are staying with her mother, Mrs. Harwood on So. Earle Street until orders are received to join Capt. Perdew on Okinawa.
The May 14, 1952 U.S.S. General W.A. Mann, TAPP-112 List of In-Bound Passengers shows
30 yr. old Ruth C. Perdew, b. in Los Angeles, CA. and her two children, 11 yr. old Brenda R. Perdew, b. in Alhambra, CA. and
4 yr. old Denning M. Perdew Jr., b. in Upland, CA., returning from Okinawa, Japan, arriving at the port of San Francisco, CA. Their given destination was 1673 Archibald Av., Alta Loma, CA.
*Note: At that time, Ruth was almost 5 mths. pregnant with her third child, Chloe.
Ruth Cora Lewis Perdew, ‘Dude', age 90, passed away after a prolonged illness, on the morning of April 06, 2012 at home in Cardiff by the Sea, with her loving husband of sixty-five years by her side. She had been a resident of this community for over 40 years.
She entered this world on October 19, 1921 in Los Angeles, CA., the youngest of eight children born to E. Floyd Lewis and Ethel F. Godfrey Lewis Harwood, a devout Christian woman. As a result, Ruth became a Christian at an early point in her life and remained so the rest of her life.
As a child, Ruth spent many a happy summer boating at her family's beach home on Balboa Island. She attended Washington Elementary School and Muscatel Jr. High in Rosemead. In high school, she was a member of the basketball team, and was a very good student in the subjects she enjoyed, excelling especially in salesmanship. A beautiful, popular girl who had ‘a box of fraternity pins and a letterman's sweater for every day of the week,' she was a graduate of Long Beach Polytechnic High School, class of 1939.
Ruth was a lifelong member of the Baptist Church and felt especially blessed that all four of her children had been baptized and were now living Christian lives.
She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. In addition to her family, she enjoyed entertaining, sewing, gardening, ceramics, flower designing and cake decorating. She taught Sunday School while stationed with her husband on Okinawa, Japan. As a Squadron Commander's wife at Forbes AFB in Topeka, Kansas, she was in charge of facilitating the social activities of the ladies. At the Strategic Air Command, Offutt AFB, in Omaha, Nebraska, she served as Welcoming Chairperson to greet and assist newly assigned NATO officers' wives and their families in getting settled into their new headquarters. She was known as a gourmet cook, and devoted much of her time and energy as a caregiver to elderly friends and family members, preparing and delivering food to them for a number of years. Twice a month for fourteen years, until she was unable to continue due to illness, Ruth and her husband dedicated themselves to the mission of delivering contributions of food to two orphanages in Tijuana and Tecate, Mexico, where the children referred to her as ‘Abuelita Ruth'.
She was an energetic, high-spirited, loving, gracious, giving, kind and compassionate person who always put everyone else first and saw nothing but the best in people. She will be dearly missed by all, but she will live in our hearts forever.
She is survived by her husband, Col. Denning Miles Perdew; daughters, Brenda Wilson (Covina) and Chloe Perdew (Arcadia); son, Matthew Perdew (Ocean Beach); eight grandchildren, Diana Murrell, Lori Goetz, Terry Raleigh, Denning Miles Perdew III, Carlene McCallister, Kimberly Anne Smith, Sara Ann Perdew, Steven Lewis Perdew, and Nathan VonSien Perdew. She also leaves behind 11 great grandchildren and 4 gg-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death in 2007 by her son, Denning Miles Perdew Jr.
Her family has organized a memorial celebration of her life for noon on Wednesday, April 11, at Pacific View Baptist Church in Encinitas, Ca., Pastors Larry Hudson and Evan Lauer officiating.
The bearers will be Matthew Perdew, Denning Miles Perdew III, Steven Lewis Perdew, Nathan VonSien Perdew, Bradley Smith and Brian Smith.
Interment will take place the following day, Thursday, April 12, 2012 at 10:45 a.m. at Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Ruth Perdew to Pacific View Baptist Church, 845 Santa Fe Drive, Encinitas, Ca. 92024.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Eternal Hills Funeral Home in Oceanside.
Dude's eulogy, presented by her husband, 'Jack':
"We were 85 years old when we joined PVBC (Pacific View Baptist Church in Encinitas, CA.) and people knew little or nothing about our earlier and more active years. So let me tell you something about this beautiful person:
In high school, she was a member of the basketball team and was a very good student in the subjects she enjoyed, excelling especially in salesmanship. We met right after we had both completed high school in the summer of 1939. My small town of Alta Loma was celebrating its 25th anniversary and my cousin had come from her home in Alhambra to enjoy the festivities and she brought Ruth along. With me, it was truly love at first sight and I can remember the clothing she was wearing, a blue navy sailor suit with white piping and white leather suede shoes. The center of the festivities was the second floor of the fire hall where there was music and dancing and she did enjoy dancing. I did not, mostly because I was very inexperienced and lacking in confidence. But dance I did and I did my best to monopolize her to keep the other wolves at bay. On learning that she was living with my cousin I found a renewed interest in visiting my cousin and her parents in Alhambra. I became more interested in being of help with washing the dishes, because it gave me a chance to hold hands with her in the rinse water.
I was struck by her beauty and goodness and I found it almost too much to believe that she would have any interest in me. She was very popular and had a letterman's sweater for every day of the week and a box full of fraternity pins.
We were both very much in love but marriage was not in sight at that point. Without completing my education, I felt that I would not be able to fulfill my potential as a breadwinner, so I elected to enter college. Two years later came Pearl Harbor and our entry into WWII and my entry into the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet program. At the end of the war, I was released from active duty and returned to California where I took up my courtship with this lovely lady.
Within a few months we married, bought a lemon grove and started construction of a home on the property and settled down to the ranching life. That didn't last long. Just as we were completing our house, I was called back to active duty and was ordered to report within 3 days to Keesler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi. When I received the telegram, I was just plastering the last square foot of the bedroom ceiling; I dropped the trowel into a bucket of water and never returned to the site. To terminate employment and settle business affairs and get to Louisiana in three days was no small challenge. We drove non-stop day and night from California to Mississippi; we arrived a half-day late. I was pleased to get back into flying again and Ruth seemed excited at the prospect of travel to other parts. We entered into the nomadic military life and during the course of my career, we lived in ten different states and two foreign countries. Ruth had a variety of experiences during that life, she taught a Sunday school class on Okinawa, Japan. As a Squadron Commander's wife at Forbes Air Force Base in Topeka, Kansas, she was in charge of facilitating the social activities of the ladies. In a later assignment she served as Welcoming Chairperson with responsibilities for greeting and assisting families of NATO officers in getting settled into their new quarters at Headquarters of the Strategic Air Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
Ruth was a life-long member of the Baptist Church and felt especially blessed that all four of her children have been baptized and are living Christian lives. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. In addition to her family she enjoyed sewing, gardening and ceramics. She was known as a gourmet cook and devoted much of her time and energy as a caregiver to elderly friends and family members, preparing and delivering food to them. And twice a month for fourteen years, until she was no longer able to continue due to illness, Ruth and I undertook a mission of purchasing and delivering food to two orphanages in Mexico; one in Tijuana, the other in Tecate where the children referred to her as 'Abuelita'.
She was an energetic, high-spirited, loving, gracious, kind, giving and compassionate person who always put everyone else first and was always quick to see the best in people. She will be dearly missed by all and she will live in our hearts forever."
Ruthie / Dude was a beautiful spirit, a beautiful woman, and a perfect Mother. We love you Mom. May you rest in eternal peace and joy until we meet again.
Ruth 'Ruthie/Dude' was the youngest of eight children born to:
E. F. (Edward Floyd) Lewis, b. May 26, 1880 in Urbana, Champaign co., IL. and d. Nov. 19, 1960 in Long Beach, L.A. co., CA. &
Ethel (Godfrey) Lewis Harwood, b. Sep. 21, 1885 in L.A., L.A., CA. and d. Dec. 24, 1965 in San Gabriel, L.A., CA.
E.F. and Ethel Lewis' children were:
1. Floyd Addison Lewis, b. Aug. 9, 1907 in L.A., L.A., CA. and d. Apr. 23, 1984 in L.A., L.A., CA.
2. Thomas Edwin Lewis, b. Feb. 22, 1909 in L.A. co., CA. and d. Aug. 2, 1979 in San Francisco, San Francisco co., CA.
3. James Earl Lewis, b. Apr. 19, 1912 in L.A. co., CA. and d. Aug. 6, 1996 in San Gabriel, L.A., CA.
4. Stanley Jackson Lewis, b. Oct. 17, 1914 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles co., CA. and d. Jul. 7, 1978 in San Diego co., CA.
5. Dorothy 'Dodie' Lewis (twin), b. Jan. 19, 1916 in L. A., L.A., CA. and d. Dec. 11, 1990 in Pasadena, L.A., CA.
6. Marjorie Lewis(twin), b. Jan. 19, 1916 in L.A., L.A., CA. and d. Feb. 22, 2007 in Polk County, NC.
7. Ethel Lewis, b. Oct. 24, 1918 in Los Angeles, L.A., CA. at 2:15 a.m. and died the same day at 8:10 a.m. at Angelus hospital in Los Angeles, L.A., CA.
8. Ruth Cora Lewis, b. Oct. 19, 1921 in L.A., CA. and d. in Cardiff by the Sea, San Diego, CA.
Ruth Lewis attended El Monte High School in El Monte, L.A., CA.
In 1939, Ruth Lewis was a senior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and living with her sister, Dodie and brother-in-law, Vondale 'Bondy' Lamon, helping to take care of their twins, Von and Dale Lamon.
Oct. 30, 1942 - FLYING OFFICER (accompanied by a photo of D.M. Perdew) - Denning M. Perdew, of 1673 Archibald avenue, Alta Loma, is today a second lieutenant in the United State Army Air force after receiving his commission and silver wings Friday at Williams Field, Phoenix, Ariz.
Lieut. Perdew if the son of Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Perdew, and is a graduate of Chaffey high school and junior college, completing his work at the latter institution in June, 1941.
While at Chaffey he majored in mathematics and science and also tok the Civil Aeronautics Authority course both years he attended junior college.
He will now report to Salt Lake where he will be assigned to a flight squadron for duty.
On May 7, 1946, Ruth C. Lewis and Denning M. Perdew were married by Gene Ward, Justice of the Peace at the Court House (one block South Fremont between Second and Third) in Las Vegas, Clark County, NV.
From a May 14, 1946 greeting card 'Dude' gave her new husband, 'Doc/Jack'.
The outside of the card reads: "On Our Wedding Anniversary".
On the inside, she wrote:
"Darling, a week of heaven, what a wonderful beginning. I'll always love you honey, just as I do now, on our first week of marriage.
Always, Dude"
-And she did! -Dude and Jack were just as much in love, their entire lives.
From a June 7, 1946 greeting card to her husband:
The outside of the card reads: With Love to My Husband On Our Anniversary.
On the inside, she wrote: "Even after a whole month, I love you with all my heart! Always, your wife, Dude.
199 yrs. and 11 mo. to go. -Think you can stick it out?"
Clippings from the Dude's scrapbook:
Capt. Perdew Reports For Duty At Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. - Capt. Denning M. Perdew, of 1673 Archibald avenue, Alta Loma, Calif., has reported to 14th Air Force headquarters at Orlando, Fla., for duty as chief special weapons branch, 14th Air Force officials announced today.
Captain Perdew has just completed a chemical school at Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Mass. (Mississippi).
His new assignment also marks a return to his old wartime outfit, the 14th Air Force. As a member of the 11th Bomb Squadron of the 14th Air Force with headquarters in China, during the war, Captain Perdew flew 54 missions in his 11 months overseas. For meritorious combat services, he has received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.
With him at his new station are his wife, the former Ruth C. Lewis of Rosemead, Calif., and two children, Brenda, 9, and Denny, 2. They are residing at 675 Minnesota avenue, Winter Park, Fla.
Out of Florida, just before the hurricane struck, are Capt. and Mrs. Denning Perdew and children, Brenda and Denny. They are at the home of Mrs. Perdew's mother, Mrs. Ethel Harwood. Capt. Denning leaves from San Francisco, Sept. 15 for Okinawa and his wife and children will join him when they receive orders from the government.
Mrs. D. M. Perdew, daughter of Mrs. Ethel Harwood of Earle St. was in her own "seventh heaven" last week when she received a telephone call via radio from her husband, Captain Denning M. Perdew from Okinawa. Capt. Perdew has been stationed in Okinawa for the past ten months and is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his wife and two children, Brenda, 9, and Denny, 2, as they plan to leave Rosemead and set sail for the distant shore within the next two months. He reports there are three first grades already established there and construction has already begun on a typhoon proof housing project.
Capt. Denning M. Perdew who is stationed on Okinawa with the Air Force, recently flew to Guam. While there he had a nice visit with Lt. and Mrs. Arthur Hughes, also of the Air Force. Capt. Perdew and Lt. Hughes are friends of long standing, having gone through school together.
Mrs. Perdew and children, Brenda and Denny, are staying with her mother, Mrs. Harwood on So. Earle Street until orders are received to join Capt. Perdew on Okinawa.
The May 14, 1952 U.S.S. General W.A. Mann, TAPP-112 List of In-Bound Passengers shows
30 yr. old Ruth C. Perdew, b. in Los Angeles, CA. and her two children, 11 yr. old Brenda R. Perdew, b. in Alhambra, CA. and
4 yr. old Denning M. Perdew Jr., b. in Upland, CA., returning from Okinawa, Japan, arriving at the port of San Francisco, CA. Their given destination was 1673 Archibald Av., Alta Loma, CA.
*Note: At that time, Ruth was almost 5 mths. pregnant with her third child, Chloe.
Ruth Cora Lewis Perdew, ‘Dude', age 90, passed away after a prolonged illness, on the morning of April 06, 2012 at home in Cardiff by the Sea, with her loving husband of sixty-five years by her side. She had been a resident of this community for over 40 years.
She entered this world on October 19, 1921 in Los Angeles, CA., the youngest of eight children born to E. Floyd Lewis and Ethel F. Godfrey Lewis Harwood, a devout Christian woman. As a result, Ruth became a Christian at an early point in her life and remained so the rest of her life.
As a child, Ruth spent many a happy summer boating at her family's beach home on Balboa Island. She attended Washington Elementary School and Muscatel Jr. High in Rosemead. In high school, she was a member of the basketball team, and was a very good student in the subjects she enjoyed, excelling especially in salesmanship. A beautiful, popular girl who had ‘a box of fraternity pins and a letterman's sweater for every day of the week,' she was a graduate of Long Beach Polytechnic High School, class of 1939.
Ruth was a lifelong member of the Baptist Church and felt especially blessed that all four of her children had been baptized and were now living Christian lives.
She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. In addition to her family, she enjoyed entertaining, sewing, gardening, ceramics, flower designing and cake decorating. She taught Sunday School while stationed with her husband on Okinawa, Japan. As a Squadron Commander's wife at Forbes AFB in Topeka, Kansas, she was in charge of facilitating the social activities of the ladies. At the Strategic Air Command, Offutt AFB, in Omaha, Nebraska, she served as Welcoming Chairperson to greet and assist newly assigned NATO officers' wives and their families in getting settled into their new headquarters. She was known as a gourmet cook, and devoted much of her time and energy as a caregiver to elderly friends and family members, preparing and delivering food to them for a number of years. Twice a month for fourteen years, until she was unable to continue due to illness, Ruth and her husband dedicated themselves to the mission of delivering contributions of food to two orphanages in Tijuana and Tecate, Mexico, where the children referred to her as ‘Abuelita Ruth'.
She was an energetic, high-spirited, loving, gracious, giving, kind and compassionate person who always put everyone else first and saw nothing but the best in people. She will be dearly missed by all, but she will live in our hearts forever.
She is survived by her husband, Col. Denning Miles Perdew; daughters, Brenda Wilson (Covina) and Chloe Perdew (Arcadia); son, Matthew Perdew (Ocean Beach); eight grandchildren, Diana Murrell, Lori Goetz, Terry Raleigh, Denning Miles Perdew III, Carlene McCallister, Kimberly Anne Smith, Sara Ann Perdew, Steven Lewis Perdew, and Nathan VonSien Perdew. She also leaves behind 11 great grandchildren and 4 gg-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death in 2007 by her son, Denning Miles Perdew Jr.
Her family has organized a memorial celebration of her life for noon on Wednesday, April 11, at Pacific View Baptist Church in Encinitas, Ca., Pastors Larry Hudson and Evan Lauer officiating.
The bearers will be Matthew Perdew, Denning Miles Perdew III, Steven Lewis Perdew, Nathan VonSien Perdew, Bradley Smith and Brian Smith.
Interment will take place the following day, Thursday, April 12, 2012 at 10:45 a.m. at Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Ruth Perdew to Pacific View Baptist Church, 845 Santa Fe Drive, Encinitas, Ca. 92024.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Eternal Hills Funeral Home in Oceanside.
Dude's eulogy, presented by her husband, 'Jack':
"We were 85 years old when we joined PVBC (Pacific View Baptist Church in Encinitas, CA.) and people knew little or nothing about our earlier and more active years. So let me tell you something about this beautiful person:
In high school, she was a member of the basketball team and was a very good student in the subjects she enjoyed, excelling especially in salesmanship. We met right after we had both completed high school in the summer of 1939. My small town of Alta Loma was celebrating its 25th anniversary and my cousin had come from her home in Alhambra to enjoy the festivities and she brought Ruth along. With me, it was truly love at first sight and I can remember the clothing she was wearing, a blue navy sailor suit with white piping and white leather suede shoes. The center of the festivities was the second floor of the fire hall where there was music and dancing and she did enjoy dancing. I did not, mostly because I was very inexperienced and lacking in confidence. But dance I did and I did my best to monopolize her to keep the other wolves at bay. On learning that she was living with my cousin I found a renewed interest in visiting my cousin and her parents in Alhambra. I became more interested in being of help with washing the dishes, because it gave me a chance to hold hands with her in the rinse water.
I was struck by her beauty and goodness and I found it almost too much to believe that she would have any interest in me. She was very popular and had a letterman's sweater for every day of the week and a box full of fraternity pins.
We were both very much in love but marriage was not in sight at that point. Without completing my education, I felt that I would not be able to fulfill my potential as a breadwinner, so I elected to enter college. Two years later came Pearl Harbor and our entry into WWII and my entry into the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet program. At the end of the war, I was released from active duty and returned to California where I took up my courtship with this lovely lady.
Within a few months we married, bought a lemon grove and started construction of a home on the property and settled down to the ranching life. That didn't last long. Just as we were completing our house, I was called back to active duty and was ordered to report within 3 days to Keesler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi. When I received the telegram, I was just plastering the last square foot of the bedroom ceiling; I dropped the trowel into a bucket of water and never returned to the site. To terminate employment and settle business affairs and get to Louisiana in three days was no small challenge. We drove non-stop day and night from California to Mississippi; we arrived a half-day late. I was pleased to get back into flying again and Ruth seemed excited at the prospect of travel to other parts. We entered into the nomadic military life and during the course of my career, we lived in ten different states and two foreign countries. Ruth had a variety of experiences during that life, she taught a Sunday school class on Okinawa, Japan. As a Squadron Commander's wife at Forbes Air Force Base in Topeka, Kansas, she was in charge of facilitating the social activities of the ladies. In a later assignment she served as Welcoming Chairperson with responsibilities for greeting and assisting families of NATO officers in getting settled into their new quarters at Headquarters of the Strategic Air Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
Ruth was a life-long member of the Baptist Church and felt especially blessed that all four of her children have been baptized and are living Christian lives. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. In addition to her family she enjoyed sewing, gardening and ceramics. She was known as a gourmet cook and devoted much of her time and energy as a caregiver to elderly friends and family members, preparing and delivering food to them. And twice a month for fourteen years, until she was no longer able to continue due to illness, Ruth and I undertook a mission of purchasing and delivering food to two orphanages in Mexico; one in Tijuana, the other in Tecate where the children referred to her as 'Abuelita'.
She was an energetic, high-spirited, loving, gracious, kind, giving and compassionate person who always put everyone else first and was always quick to see the best in people. She will be dearly missed by all and she will live in our hearts forever."
Ruthie / Dude was a beautiful spirit, a beautiful woman, and a perfect Mother. We love you Mom. May you rest in eternal peace and joy until we meet again.
My Beautiful Mother.
Ruth 'Ruthie/Dude' was the youngest of eight children born to:
E. F. (Edward Floyd) Lewis, b. May 26, 1880 in Urbana, Champaign co., IL. and d. Nov. 19, 1960 in Long Beach, L.A. co., CA. &
Ethel (Godfrey) Lewis Harwood, b. Sep. 21, 1885 in L.A., L.A., CA. and d. Dec. 24, 1965 in San Gabriel, L.A., CA.
E.F. and Ethel Lewis' children were:
1. Floyd Addison Lewis, b. Aug. 9, 1907 in L.A., L.A., CA. and d. Apr. 23, 1984 in L.A., L.A., CA.
2. Thomas Edwin Lewis, b. Feb. 22, 1909 in L.A. co., CA. and d. Aug. 2, 1979 in San Francisco, San Francisco co., CA.
3. James Earl Lewis, b. Apr. 19, 1912 in L.A. co., CA. and d. Aug. 6, 1996 in San Gabriel, L.A., CA.
4. Stanley Jackson Lewis, b. Oct. 17, 1914 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles co., CA. and d. Jul. 7, 1978 in San Diego co., CA.
5. Dorothy 'Dodie' Lewis (twin), b. Jan. 19, 1916 in L. A., L.A., CA. and d. Dec. 11, 1990 in Pasadena, L.A., CA.
6. Marjorie Lewis(twin), b. Jan. 19, 1916 in L.A., L.A., CA. and d. Feb. 22, 2007 in Polk County, NC.
7. Ethel Lewis, b. Oct. 24, 1918 in Los Angeles, L.A., CA. at 2:15 a.m. and died the same day at 8:10 a.m. at Angelus hospital in Los Angeles, L.A., CA.
8. Ruth Cora Lewis, b. Oct. 19, 1921 in L.A., CA. and d. in Cardiff by the Sea, San Diego, CA.
Ruth Lewis attended El Monte High School in El Monte, L.A., CA.
In 1939, Ruth Lewis was a senior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and living with her sister, Dodie and brother-in-law, Vondale 'Bondy' Lamon, helping to take care of their twins, Von and Dale Lamon.
Oct. 30, 1942 - FLYING OFFICER (accompanied by a photo of D.M. Perdew) - Denning M. Perdew, of 1673 Archibald avenue, Alta Loma, is today a second lieutenant in the United State Army Air force after receiving his commission and silver wings Friday at Williams Field, Phoenix, Ariz.
Lieut. Perdew if the son of Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Perdew, and is a graduate of Chaffey high school and junior college, completing his work at the latter institution in June, 1941.
While at Chaffey he majored in mathematics and science and also tok the Civil Aeronautics Authority course both years he attended junior college.
He will now report to Salt Lake where he will be assigned to a flight squadron for duty.
On May 7, 1946, Ruth C. Lewis and Denning M. Perdew were married by Gene Ward, Justice of the Peace at the Court House (one block South Fremont between Second and Third) in Las Vegas, Clark County, NV.
From a May 14, 1946 greeting card 'Dude' gave her new husband, 'Doc/Jack'.
The outside of the card reads: "On Our Wedding Anniversary".
On the inside, she wrote:
"Darling, a week of heaven, what a wonderful beginning. I'll always love you honey, just as I do now, on our first week of marriage.
Always, Dude"
-And she did! -Dude and Jack were just as much in love, their entire lives.
From a June 7, 1946 greeting card to her husband:
The outside of the card reads: With Love to My Husband On Our Anniversary.
On the inside, she wrote: "Even after a whole month, I love you with all my heart! Always, your wife, Dude.
199 yrs. and 11 mo. to go. -Think you can stick it out?"
Clippings from the Dude's scrapbook:
Capt. Perdew Reports For Duty At Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. - Capt. Denning M. Perdew, of 1673 Archibald avenue, Alta Loma, Calif., has reported to 14th Air Force headquarters at Orlando, Fla., for duty as chief special weapons branch, 14th Air Force officials announced today.
Captain Perdew has just completed a chemical school at Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Mass. (Mississippi).
His new assignment also marks a return to his old wartime outfit, the 14th Air Force. As a member of the 11th Bomb Squadron of the 14th Air Force with headquarters in China, during the war, Captain Perdew flew 54 missions in his 11 months overseas. For meritorious combat services, he has received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.
With him at his new station are his wife, the former Ruth C. Lewis of Rosemead, Calif., and two children, Brenda, 9, and Denny, 2. They are residing at 675 Minnesota avenue, Winter Park, Fla.
Out of Florida, just before the hurricane struck, are Capt. and Mrs. Denning Perdew and children, Brenda and Denny. They are at the home of Mrs. Perdew's mother, Mrs. Ethel Harwood. Capt. Denning leaves from San Francisco, Sept. 15 for Okinawa and his wife and children will join him when they receive orders from the government.
Mrs. D. M. Perdew, daughter of Mrs. Ethel Harwood of Earle St. was in her own "seventh heaven" last week when she received a telephone call via radio from her husband, Captain Denning M. Perdew from Okinawa. Capt. Perdew has been stationed in Okinawa for the past ten months and is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his wife and two children, Brenda, 9, and Denny, 2, as they plan to leave Rosemead and set sail for the distant shore within the next two months. He reports there are three first grades already established there and construction has already begun on a typhoon proof housing project.
Capt. Denning M. Perdew who is stationed on Okinawa with the Air Force, recently flew to Guam. While there he had a nice visit with Lt. and Mrs. Arthur Hughes, also of the Air Force. Capt. Perdew and Lt. Hughes are friends of long standing, having gone through school together.
Mrs. Perdew and children, Brenda and Denny, are staying with her mother, Mrs. Harwood on So. Earle Street until orders are received to join Capt. Perdew on Okinawa.
The May 14, 1952 U.S.S. General W.A. Mann, TAPP-112 List of In-Bound Passengers shows
30 yr. old Ruth C. Perdew, b. in Los Angeles, CA. and her two children, 11 yr. old Brenda R. Perdew, b. in Alhambra, CA. and
4 yr. old Denning M. Perdew Jr., b. in Upland, CA., returning from Okinawa, Japan, arriving at the port of San Francisco, CA. Their given destination was 1673 Archibald Av., Alta Loma, CA.
*Note: At that time, Ruth was almost 5 mths. pregnant with her third child, Chloe.
Ruth Cora Lewis Perdew, ‘Dude', age 90, passed away after a prolonged illness, on the morning of April 06, 2012 at home in Cardiff by the Sea, with her loving husband of sixty-five years by her side. She had been a resident of this community for over 40 years.
She entered this world on October 19, 1921 in Los Angeles, CA., the youngest of eight children born to E. Floyd Lewis and Ethel F. Godfrey Lewis Harwood, a devout Christian woman. As a result, Ruth became a Christian at an early point in her life and remained so the rest of her life.
As a child, Ruth spent many a happy summer boating at her family's beach home on Balboa Island. She attended Washington Elementary School and Muscatel Jr. High in Rosemead. In high school, she was a member of the basketball team, and was a very good student in the subjects she enjoyed, excelling especially in salesmanship. A beautiful, popular girl who had ‘a box of fraternity pins and a letterman's sweater for every day of the week,' she was a graduate of Long Beach Polytechnic High School, class of 1939.
Ruth was a lifelong member of the Baptist Church and felt especially blessed that all four of her children had been baptized and were now living Christian lives.
She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. In addition to her family, she enjoyed entertaining, sewing, gardening, ceramics, flower designing and cake decorating. She taught Sunday School while stationed with her husband on Okinawa, Japan. As a Squadron Commander's wife at Forbes AFB in Topeka, Kansas, she was in charge of facilitating the social activities of the ladies. At the Strategic Air Command, Offutt AFB, in Omaha, Nebraska, she served as Welcoming Chairperson to greet and assist newly assigned NATO officers' wives and their families in getting settled into their new headquarters. She was known as a gourmet cook, and devoted much of her time and energy as a caregiver to elderly friends and family members, preparing and delivering food to them for a number of years. Twice a month for fourteen years, until she was unable to continue due to illness, Ruth and her husband dedicated themselves to the mission of delivering contributions of food to two orphanages in Tijuana and Tecate, Mexico, where the children referred to her as ‘Abuelita Ruth'.
She was an energetic, high-spirited, loving, gracious, giving, kind and compassionate person who always put everyone else first and saw nothing but the best in people. She will be dearly missed by all, but she will live in our hearts forever.
She is survived by her husband, Col. Denning Miles Perdew; daughters, Brenda Wilson (Covina) and Chloe Perdew (Arcadia); son, Matthew Perdew (Ocean Beach); eight grandchildren, Diana Murrell, Lori Goetz, Terry Raleigh, Denning Miles Perdew III, Carlene McCallister, Kimberly Anne Smith, Sara Ann Perdew, Steven Lewis Perdew, and Nathan VonSien Perdew. She also leaves behind 11 great grandchildren and 4 gg-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death in 2007 by her son, Denning Miles Perdew Jr.
Her family has organized a memorial celebration of her life for noon on Wednesday, April 11, at Pacific View Baptist Church in Encinitas, Ca., Pastors Larry Hudson and Evan Lauer officiating.
The bearers will be Matthew Perdew, Denning Miles Perdew III, Steven Lewis Perdew, Nathan VonSien Perdew, Bradley Smith and Brian Smith.
Interment will take place the following day, Thursday, April 12, 2012 at 10:45 a.m. at Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Ruth Perdew to Pacific View Baptist Church, 845 Santa Fe Drive, Encinitas, Ca. 92024.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Eternal Hills Funeral Home in Oceanside.
Dude's eulogy, presented by her husband, 'Jack':
"We were 85 years old when we joined PVBC (Pacific View Baptist Church in Encinitas, CA.) and people knew little or nothing about our earlier and more active years. So let me tell you something about this beautiful person:
In high school, she was a member of the basketball team and was a very good student in the subjects she enjoyed, excelling especially in salesmanship. We met right after we had both completed high school in the summer of 1939. My small town of Alta Loma was celebrating its 25th anniversary and my cousin had come from her home in Alhambra to enjoy the festivities and she brought Ruth along. With me, it was truly love at first sight and I can remember the clothing she was wearing, a blue navy sailor suit with white piping and white leather suede shoes. The center of the festivities was the second floor of the fire hall where there was music and dancing and she did enjoy dancing. I did not, mostly because I was very inexperienced and lacking in confidence. But dance I did and I did my best to monopolize her to keep the other wolves at bay. On learning that she was living with my cousin I found a renewed interest in visiting my cousin and her parents in Alhambra. I became more interested in being of help with washing the dishes, because it gave me a chance to hold hands with her in the rinse water.
I was struck by her beauty and goodness and I found it almost too much to believe that she would have any interest in me. She was very popular and had a letterman's sweater for every day of the week and a box full of fraternity pins.
We were both very much in love but marriage was not in sight at that point. Without completing my education, I felt that I would not be able to fulfill my potential as a breadwinner, so I elected to enter college. Two years later came Pearl Harbor and our entry into WWII and my entry into the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet program. At the end of the war, I was released from active duty and returned to California where I took up my courtship with this lovely lady.
Within a few months we married, bought a lemon grove and started construction of a home on the property and settled down to the ranching life. That didn't last long. Just as we were completing our house, I was called back to active duty and was ordered to report within 3 days to Keesler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi. When I received the telegram, I was just plastering the last square foot of the bedroom ceiling; I dropped the trowel into a bucket of water and never returned to the site. To terminate employment and settle business affairs and get to Louisiana in three days was no small challenge. We drove non-stop day and night from California to Mississippi; we arrived a half-day late. I was pleased to get back into flying again and Ruth seemed excited at the prospect of travel to other parts. We entered into the nomadic military life and during the course of my career, we lived in ten different states and two foreign countries. Ruth had a variety of experiences during that life, she taught a Sunday school class on Okinawa, Japan. As a Squadron Commander's wife at Forbes Air Force Base in Topeka, Kansas, she was in charge of facilitating the social activities of the ladies. In a later assignment she served as Welcoming Chairperson with responsibilities for greeting and assisting families of NATO officers in getting settled into their new quarters at Headquarters of the Strategic Air Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
Ruth was a life-long member of the Baptist Church and felt especially blessed that all four of her children have been baptized and are living Christian lives. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. In addition to her family she enjoyed sewing, gardening and ceramics. She was known as a gourmet cook and devoted much of her time and energy as a caregiver to elderly friends and family members, preparing and delivering food to them. And twice a month for fourteen years, until she was no longer able to continue due to illness, Ruth and I undertook a mission of purchasing and delivering food to two orphanages in Mexico; one in Tijuana, the other in Tecate where the children referred to her as 'Abuelita'.
She was an energetic, high-spirited, loving, gracious, kind, giving and compassionate person who always put everyone else first and was always quick to see the best in people. She will be dearly missed by all and she will live in our hearts forever."
Ruthie / Dude was a beautiful spirit, a beautiful woman, and a perfect Mother. We love you Mom. May you rest in eternal peace and joy until we meet again.
Ruth 'Ruthie/Dude' was the youngest of eight children born to:
E. F. (Edward Floyd) Lewis, b. May 26, 1880 in Urbana, Champaign co., IL. and d. Nov. 19, 1960 in Long Beach, L.A. co., CA. &
Ethel (Godfrey) Lewis Harwood, b. Sep. 21, 1885 in L.A., L.A., CA. and d. Dec. 24, 1965 in San Gabriel, L.A., CA.
E.F. and Ethel Lewis' children were:
1. Floyd Addison Lewis, b. Aug. 9, 1907 in L.A., L.A., CA. and d. Apr. 23, 1984 in L.A., L.A., CA.
2. Thomas Edwin Lewis, b. Feb. 22, 1909 in L.A. co., CA. and d. Aug. 2, 1979 in San Francisco, San Francisco co., CA.
3. James Earl Lewis, b. Apr. 19, 1912 in L.A. co., CA. and d. Aug. 6, 1996 in San Gabriel, L.A., CA.
4. Stanley Jackson Lewis, b. Oct. 17, 1914 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles co., CA. and d. Jul. 7, 1978 in San Diego co., CA.
5. Dorothy 'Dodie' Lewis (twin), b. Jan. 19, 1916 in L. A., L.A., CA. and d. Dec. 11, 1990 in Pasadena, L.A., CA.
6. Marjorie Lewis(twin), b. Jan. 19, 1916 in L.A., L.A., CA. and d. Feb. 22, 2007 in Polk County, NC.
7. Ethel Lewis, b. Oct. 24, 1918 in Los Angeles, L.A., CA. at 2:15 a.m. and died the same day at 8:10 a.m. at Angelus hospital in Los Angeles, L.A., CA.
8. Ruth Cora Lewis, b. Oct. 19, 1921 in L.A., CA. and d. in Cardiff by the Sea, San Diego, CA.
Ruth Lewis attended El Monte High School in El Monte, L.A., CA.
In 1939, Ruth Lewis was a senior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and living with her sister, Dodie and brother-in-law, Vondale 'Bondy' Lamon, helping to take care of their twins, Von and Dale Lamon.
Oct. 30, 1942 - FLYING OFFICER (accompanied by a photo of D.M. Perdew) - Denning M. Perdew, of 1673 Archibald avenue, Alta Loma, is today a second lieutenant in the United State Army Air force after receiving his commission and silver wings Friday at Williams Field, Phoenix, Ariz.
Lieut. Perdew if the son of Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Perdew, and is a graduate of Chaffey high school and junior college, completing his work at the latter institution in June, 1941.
While at Chaffey he majored in mathematics and science and also tok the Civil Aeronautics Authority course both years he attended junior college.
He will now report to Salt Lake where he will be assigned to a flight squadron for duty.
On May 7, 1946, Ruth C. Lewis and Denning M. Perdew were married by Gene Ward, Justice of the Peace at the Court House (one block South Fremont between Second and Third) in Las Vegas, Clark County, NV.
From a May 14, 1946 greeting card 'Dude' gave her new husband, 'Doc/Jack'.
The outside of the card reads: "On Our Wedding Anniversary".
On the inside, she wrote:
"Darling, a week of heaven, what a wonderful beginning. I'll always love you honey, just as I do now, on our first week of marriage.
Always, Dude"
-And she did! -Dude and Jack were just as much in love, their entire lives.
From a June 7, 1946 greeting card to her husband:
The outside of the card reads: With Love to My Husband On Our Anniversary.
On the inside, she wrote: "Even after a whole month, I love you with all my heart! Always, your wife, Dude.
199 yrs. and 11 mo. to go. -Think you can stick it out?"
Clippings from the Dude's scrapbook:
Capt. Perdew Reports For Duty At Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. - Capt. Denning M. Perdew, of 1673 Archibald avenue, Alta Loma, Calif., has reported to 14th Air Force headquarters at Orlando, Fla., for duty as chief special weapons branch, 14th Air Force officials announced today.
Captain Perdew has just completed a chemical school at Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Mass. (Mississippi).
His new assignment also marks a return to his old wartime outfit, the 14th Air Force. As a member of the 11th Bomb Squadron of the 14th Air Force with headquarters in China, during the war, Captain Perdew flew 54 missions in his 11 months overseas. For meritorious combat services, he has received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.
With him at his new station are his wife, the former Ruth C. Lewis of Rosemead, Calif., and two children, Brenda, 9, and Denny, 2. They are residing at 675 Minnesota avenue, Winter Park, Fla.
Out of Florida, just before the hurricane struck, are Capt. and Mrs. Denning Perdew and children, Brenda and Denny. They are at the home of Mrs. Perdew's mother, Mrs. Ethel Harwood. Capt. Denning leaves from San Francisco, Sept. 15 for Okinawa and his wife and children will join him when they receive orders from the government.
Mrs. D. M. Perdew, daughter of Mrs. Ethel Harwood of Earle St. was in her own "seventh heaven" last week when she received a telephone call via radio from her husband, Captain Denning M. Perdew from Okinawa. Capt. Perdew has been stationed in Okinawa for the past ten months and is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his wife and two children, Brenda, 9, and Denny, 2, as they plan to leave Rosemead and set sail for the distant shore within the next two months. He reports there are three first grades already established there and construction has already begun on a typhoon proof housing project.
Capt. Denning M. Perdew who is stationed on Okinawa with the Air Force, recently flew to Guam. While there he had a nice visit with Lt. and Mrs. Arthur Hughes, also of the Air Force. Capt. Perdew and Lt. Hughes are friends of long standing, having gone through school together.
Mrs. Perdew and children, Brenda and Denny, are staying with her mother, Mrs. Harwood on So. Earle Street until orders are received to join Capt. Perdew on Okinawa.
The May 14, 1952 U.S.S. General W.A. Mann, TAPP-112 List of In-Bound Passengers shows
30 yr. old Ruth C. Perdew, b. in Los Angeles, CA. and her two children, 11 yr. old Brenda R. Perdew, b. in Alhambra, CA. and
4 yr. old Denning M. Perdew Jr., b. in Upland, CA., returning from Okinawa, Japan, arriving at the port of San Francisco, CA. Their given destination was 1673 Archibald Av., Alta Loma, CA.
*Note: At that time, Ruth was almost 5 mths. pregnant with her third child, Chloe.
Ruth Cora Lewis Perdew, ‘Dude', age 90, passed away after a prolonged illness, on the morning of April 06, 2012 at home in Cardiff by the Sea, with her loving husband of sixty-five years by her side. She had been a resident of this community for over 40 years.
She entered this world on October 19, 1921 in Los Angeles, CA., the youngest of eight children born to E. Floyd Lewis and Ethel F. Godfrey Lewis Harwood, a devout Christian woman. As a result, Ruth became a Christian at an early point in her life and remained so the rest of her life.
As a child, Ruth spent many a happy summer boating at her family's beach home on Balboa Island. She attended Washington Elementary School and Muscatel Jr. High in Rosemead. In high school, she was a member of the basketball team, and was a very good student in the subjects she enjoyed, excelling especially in salesmanship. A beautiful, popular girl who had ‘a box of fraternity pins and a letterman's sweater for every day of the week,' she was a graduate of Long Beach Polytechnic High School, class of 1939.
Ruth was a lifelong member of the Baptist Church and felt especially blessed that all four of her children had been baptized and were now living Christian lives.
She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. In addition to her family, she enjoyed entertaining, sewing, gardening, ceramics, flower designing and cake decorating. She taught Sunday School while stationed with her husband on Okinawa, Japan. As a Squadron Commander's wife at Forbes AFB in Topeka, Kansas, she was in charge of facilitating the social activities of the ladies. At the Strategic Air Command, Offutt AFB, in Omaha, Nebraska, she served as Welcoming Chairperson to greet and assist newly assigned NATO officers' wives and their families in getting settled into their new headquarters. She was known as a gourmet cook, and devoted much of her time and energy as a caregiver to elderly friends and family members, preparing and delivering food to them for a number of years. Twice a month for fourteen years, until she was unable to continue due to illness, Ruth and her husband dedicated themselves to the mission of delivering contributions of food to two orphanages in Tijuana and Tecate, Mexico, where the children referred to her as ‘Abuelita Ruth'.
She was an energetic, high-spirited, loving, gracious, giving, kind and compassionate person who always put everyone else first and saw nothing but the best in people. She will be dearly missed by all, but she will live in our hearts forever.
She is survived by her husband, Col. Denning Miles Perdew; daughters, Brenda Wilson (Covina) and Chloe Perdew (Arcadia); son, Matthew Perdew (Ocean Beach); eight grandchildren, Diana Murrell, Lori Goetz, Terry Raleigh, Denning Miles Perdew III, Carlene McCallister, Kimberly Anne Smith, Sara Ann Perdew, Steven Lewis Perdew, and Nathan VonSien Perdew. She also leaves behind 11 great grandchildren and 4 gg-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death in 2007 by her son, Denning Miles Perdew Jr.
Her family has organized a memorial celebration of her life for noon on Wednesday, April 11, at Pacific View Baptist Church in Encinitas, Ca., Pastors Larry Hudson and Evan Lauer officiating.
The bearers will be Matthew Perdew, Denning Miles Perdew III, Steven Lewis Perdew, Nathan VonSien Perdew, Bradley Smith and Brian Smith.
Interment will take place the following day, Thursday, April 12, 2012 at 10:45 a.m. at Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Ruth Perdew to Pacific View Baptist Church, 845 Santa Fe Drive, Encinitas, Ca. 92024.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Eternal Hills Funeral Home in Oceanside.
Dude's eulogy, presented by her husband, 'Jack':
"We were 85 years old when we joined PVBC (Pacific View Baptist Church in Encinitas, CA.) and people knew little or nothing about our earlier and more active years. So let me tell you something about this beautiful person:
In high school, she was a member of the basketball team and was a very good student in the subjects she enjoyed, excelling especially in salesmanship. We met right after we had both completed high school in the summer of 1939. My small town of Alta Loma was celebrating its 25th anniversary and my cousin had come from her home in Alhambra to enjoy the festivities and she brought Ruth along. With me, it was truly love at first sight and I can remember the clothing she was wearing, a blue navy sailor suit with white piping and white leather suede shoes. The center of the festivities was the second floor of the fire hall where there was music and dancing and she did enjoy dancing. I did not, mostly because I was very inexperienced and lacking in confidence. But dance I did and I did my best to monopolize her to keep the other wolves at bay. On learning that she was living with my cousin I found a renewed interest in visiting my cousin and her parents in Alhambra. I became more interested in being of help with washing the dishes, because it gave me a chance to hold hands with her in the rinse water.
I was struck by her beauty and goodness and I found it almost too much to believe that she would have any interest in me. She was very popular and had a letterman's sweater for every day of the week and a box full of fraternity pins.
We were both very much in love but marriage was not in sight at that point. Without completing my education, I felt that I would not be able to fulfill my potential as a breadwinner, so I elected to enter college. Two years later came Pearl Harbor and our entry into WWII and my entry into the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet program. At the end of the war, I was released from active duty and returned to California where I took up my courtship with this lovely lady.
Within a few months we married, bought a lemon grove and started construction of a home on the property and settled down to the ranching life. That didn't last long. Just as we were completing our house, I was called back to active duty and was ordered to report within 3 days to Keesler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi. When I received the telegram, I was just plastering the last square foot of the bedroom ceiling; I dropped the trowel into a bucket of water and never returned to the site. To terminate employment and settle business affairs and get to Louisiana in three days was no small challenge. We drove non-stop day and night from California to Mississippi; we arrived a half-day late. I was pleased to get back into flying again and Ruth seemed excited at the prospect of travel to other parts. We entered into the nomadic military life and during the course of my career, we lived in ten different states and two foreign countries. Ruth had a variety of experiences during that life, she taught a Sunday school class on Okinawa, Japan. As a Squadron Commander's wife at Forbes Air Force Base in Topeka, Kansas, she was in charge of facilitating the social activities of the ladies. In a later assignment she served as Welcoming Chairperson with responsibilities for greeting and assisting families of NATO officers in getting settled into their new quarters at Headquarters of the Strategic Air Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
Ruth was a life-long member of the Baptist Church and felt especially blessed that all four of her children have been baptized and are living Christian lives. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. In addition to her family she enjoyed sewing, gardening and ceramics. She was known as a gourmet cook and devoted much of her time and energy as a caregiver to elderly friends and family members, preparing and delivering food to them. And twice a month for fourteen years, until she was no longer able to continue due to illness, Ruth and I undertook a mission of purchasing and delivering food to two orphanages in Mexico; one in Tijuana, the other in Tecate where the children referred to her as 'Abuelita'.
She was an energetic, high-spirited, loving, gracious, kind, giving and compassionate person who always put everyone else first and was always quick to see the best in people. She will be dearly missed by all and she will live in our hearts forever."
Ruthie / Dude was a beautiful spirit, a beautiful woman, and a perfect Mother. We love you Mom. May you rest in eternal peace and joy until we meet again.
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