Ruth Finch Mitchell

God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ were sitting in the gardens of Paradise one afternoon. God turned to Jesus and said, "Our flowers are as lovely as ever, Son, but I've been thinking they could be even more beautiful with the right gardener."

Jesus replied, "I think you are right, Father - You always are. Do you have someone in mind?" God answered, "I have the perfect person to enter here and help us!"

And so, on July 9, 2023, God called Ruth Finch Mitchell, aged 98, of Tunkhannock, PA, to spend eternity in the gardens of Heaven. Born on Jan. 12, 1925, in Baltimore, MD, she was the daughter of Ellsworth Hood Finch and Eva Adams Finch. She was preceded in death by her only sister, Ethel Finch Riggin, aged 100, in December 2021.

Raised in suburban Kensington, MD, Mrs. Mitchell was a graduate of Franklin High School and worked for the Maryland State Police. On June 25, 1949, she married the one true love of her life, Tilton Smith Mitchell, of Springville, PA. They moved back to Pennsylvania where her husband founded Tilton Mitchell Stone Co. Inc. Upon his death in 1968, Mrs. Mitchell assumed the position of chief executive officer and continued to run the company for the next 55 years.

Mrs. Mitchell was a devoted member of the Tunkhannock United Methodist Church for 54 years and was proud to be its oldest member. She served on numerous committees and was lay representative to the Annual Conference for a number of years. She was an original founding member of the Wednesday Morning Bible study group and greatly enjoyed hosting meetings at her home, especially in the summer when her gardens were at their peak. In 1991 she was a winner of the Most Beautiful Country Garden contest sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. She enjoyed entering floral arrangements and specimen plants in the Wyoming County Fair. Mrs. Mitchell was a member of the Tunkhannock Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Traveling the world was also a great joy for Mrs. Mitchell. She often recounted favorite tales of climbing inside the pyramids in Egypt, riding a water buffalo in Thailand, and marveling at the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru.

While she enjoyed the secular aspects of life, Mrs. Mitchell was a devout Christian who practiced her faith daily by showing compassion, generosity, forgiveness and personal integrity. She expressed her profound gratitude for her bountiful blessings each and every day. Ruth Mitchell was an inspiration to many.

Mrs. Mitchell is survived by her three children: Janet M. Reading (James) of Phoenixville, PA, and St. Michaels, MD; son, Mark T. Mitchell of Tunkhannock; and daughter Jane M. Eppley (Matthew) of Hockessin, DE and Lake Carey; as well as six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Visitation with the family will be on Saturday, July 15, 2023, from 9:30 until 11 a.m. at the Tunkhannock United Methodist Church, 4 Church St., Tunkhannock, PA.

A service of death and resurrection will immediately follow at 11 a.m. with Ernie King officiating. Interment will be private.

Arrangements and care entrusted to Sheldon-Kukuchka Funeral Home, 73 W. Tioga St., Tunkhannock, PA 18657.

Please visit the funeral home website to share memories or extend condolences.

"Among the flowers one feels the Lord's presence, for one is never closer to God but when in a garden."