Ruthie Elizabeth Grimes

1943 - 2026

RUTHIE ELIZABETH GRIMES

1943 – 2026

Ruthie was born in Edna, Oklahoma in 1943. At just nine months old, she moved with her family – mother Lorene, father Clarence, and brother Will – to California, where her father worked on Treasure Island in San Francisco during the war. After the war ended, the family became migrant workers, traveling up and down California's Central Valley. In 1955, Ruthie's younger brother, Lanie, was born. The following year, her father passed away in Chowchilla, California.

In 1958, Ruthie's mother married Jack Lucas in McFarland, California. Ruthie attended high school in McFarland, continued her education at Bakersfield College, and later attended the Fresno State Extension in Bakersfield, where she earned her teaching credential. Ruthie then began her career with the McFarland School District at Kern Avenue School, where she remained dedicated for 38 years.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Will Burgett and Lanie Burgett; her son, Tim Waldrum; and Tim's father, Joel Waldrum. In 1998, Ruthie married Ed Grimes, who passed away in 2018, and her stepson, Jason Grimes, who passed away in 2024.

She is survived by her son, Gene Waldrum; stepson Mike Grimes and his wife, Kirsten Grimes; stepdaughter Shelly Sottile; stepson Ryan Grimes and his wife, Kimberly Grimes; stepson Mark Reabold and his wife, Pam Reabold; stepdaughter Tauna Mills and her husband, Dan Mills; and stepdaughter Annette Burnett and her husband, Steve Burnett. She will be deeply missed by her family and all who knew her, but we take comfort in knowing she is rejoicing in heaven with the Lord and reunited with her husband Ed and son Tim.

Ruthie will be laid to rest between Ed and her Tim at the Eastside Cemetery in Tehachapi, California.

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