Ruth was born on a cattle ranch, the second child of Alfred T. and Eunice Wilkins. Shortly after her birth, her father defaulted on the ranch mortgage and the family returned to the Wilkins family farm in Tabor, Iowa. After Ruth graduated from high school in Tabor when she was 14, she taught for a few years at the one-room Cunningham School at the edge of the farm. She then attended Chicago Institute of Music, living with her married sister Eunice. After graduating, she obtained a teaching position in Valley City, North Dakota. Ruth played the viola. She met and married T. Melvin Lee in 1915. They were parents of five daughters. Music was a central part of family life with Ruth singing and playing the piano. She was a wonderful cook and mother, devoting her life to raising her daughters. She had a calm and peaceful demeanor. She was an active church and club woman, with memberships in the D.A.R., P.E.O., and Eastern Star. After her husband died in an automobile accident in 1940, Ruth moved to Ontario, California, near the home of her mother. She lived an active and full life, especially enjoying traveling. In her later years, arthritis limited her activity and she spent her last years in a convalescent home in Redlands.
Ruth was born on a cattle ranch, the second child of Alfred T. and Eunice Wilkins. Shortly after her birth, her father defaulted on the ranch mortgage and the family returned to the Wilkins family farm in Tabor, Iowa. After Ruth graduated from high school in Tabor when she was 14, she taught for a few years at the one-room Cunningham School at the edge of the farm. She then attended Chicago Institute of Music, living with her married sister Eunice. After graduating, she obtained a teaching position in Valley City, North Dakota. Ruth played the viola. She met and married T. Melvin Lee in 1915. They were parents of five daughters. Music was a central part of family life with Ruth singing and playing the piano. She was a wonderful cook and mother, devoting her life to raising her daughters. She had a calm and peaceful demeanor. She was an active church and club woman, with memberships in the D.A.R., P.E.O., and Eastern Star. After her husband died in an automobile accident in 1940, Ruth moved to Ontario, California, near the home of her mother. She lived an active and full life, especially enjoying traveling. In her later years, arthritis limited her activity and she spent her last years in a convalescent home in Redlands.
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