Ida Ruth Sullivan Demby

Ida Ruth Sullivan Demby passed away on August 15 at the age of 94. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 23, at 2 p.m. in the chapel of Miller-Rivers-Caulder Funeral Home by Pastor Alisha Hansen and Brent Taylor. The family will receive guests after the service. Later she will be laid to rest with close family members in a private burial at White Oak Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Ruby.

Born on August 3, 1931, she was a daughter of Robert James “Bob” Sullivan and Ruth Gardner Sullivan of Jefferson, S.C. She was a graduate of Jefferson High School.

In the early 1950’s she was employed as a seamstress for Saucony Mills and resided in Pageland. In 1957 her family relocated where her husband, who was a lineman for Sandhill Telephone (when it first began operations) was transferred to Chesterfield. In the 1960’s they opened Demby’s Washerette in Chesterfield, where Ida spent her mornings making change for laundromat patrons, cleaning the facility, and operating a state of the arts dry cleaning machine. She was employed as a teacher’s aide for the Child Development (pre-kindergarten) program at Edward’s Elementary School in the 1970’s. For the next decade, she worked at The First Methodist Church of Cheraw in the daycare program. She retired in 1990 to care for her two grandchildren, Doug and Clay Campbell.

Ida enjoyed keeping a well-manicured lawn and garden and a meticulously clean house. Although age took its’ toll on her body, she remained mentally sharp until well into her 90’s. The last two and a half years she has resided at Cheraw Health Care after breaking her hip. She enjoyed visiting with the staff, the residents, and visitors. She always kept her door open and had a bird’s eye view of the front door from her comfortable chair and her bed.

She is predeceased by her parents (listed above) and her two brothers, Robert J. Sullivan, Jr. and William C. “Bill” Sullivan. She is survived by her daughter, Kathy Demby Campbell, her grandsons Doug and Clay Campbell (his wife Hallie) of Columbia, SC, her sister, Frances Sullivan Melton of Ruby, SC, as well as nieces and nephews.

Ida was a member of Fork Creek Methodist Church in Jefferson where her parents and many prior generations of her family are buried. She later moved her membership to St. Paul United Methodist Church in Chesterfield. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Paul United Methodist Church, 305 West Main Street, Chesterfield, SC 29709.

Miller-Rivers-Caulder Funeral Home (www.mrcfuneralhome.com) of Chesterfield, SC is serving the Demby family.