Ruth Annette Harrison

Ruth Annette Harrison

Marion

Ruth Annette Harrison, 88, of Marion, Iowa, formerly of Fairfield, Iowa, passed away on Sunday, June 25, 2023, at St. Luke’s Transitional Care Facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Per her wishes, cremation has taken place. A private family memorial gathering will be held at a later date. Inurnment will take place at Evergreen Cemetery in Fairfield, Iowa. Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Marion is assisting the family.

Ruth was born on Sept. 29, 1934, in Dublin, Ga., to Jack David and Ethel Elsie (Caldwell) Watson. She was a 1952 graduate of Dublin High School. Ruth immediately began work at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Ga,, where she met and married Crawford H. “Jim” Skaggs Jr. on May 15, 1954. They moved to Birmingham, Iowa, in 1955, and later they divorced. She worked at the Iowa Employment Security Commission (Job Service) and Iowa Department of Social Services in Fairfield, Iowa.

She married Charles Robert “Bob” Harrison on March 19, 1976, in Galesburg, Ill. They moved to York, Pa., in 1984, where Ruth worked for the Internal Revenue Service, and Farmers Home Administration. She later moved to Charlotte, N.C., where Ruth continued working with the Internal Revenue Service. She worked as an administrative assistant to the director at USDA/ARS/NCAUR (National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research) for 11 years in Peoria, Ill., retiring in June 2001. Following retirement, Ruth and her husband moved to Marion, Iowa. She enjoyed playing golf with her husband and shopping with her grandchildren and attending their school events. Ruth will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Ruth is survived by her son, Mike Skaggs of Marion; three grandchildren, Brittany Skaggs, Brooke (fiancé, Cody Wyborny) Skaggs, and Brandon (Sarah Peot) Skaggs; their mother, Mary Ann Kaska Skaggs of Robins, Iowa; great-granddaughter, Berkley; four stepchildren, Douglas (Mary) Harrison of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, David (Lynn) Harrison of Arvada, Colo., Connie (Bob) Boyer of Fairfield, Iowa, and Cindy (John) Naveira of Burbank, Calif.; one sister, Jacquelyn (William) Bush of Dublin, Ga.; and a host of extended family members, including several stepgrandchildren and nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Charles Robert Harrison on April 26, 2017; and two sisters, Carolyn Hobbs and Bertie Gay.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to a charity of your choice.

Please share a memory of Ruth at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.