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BORN
1930
DIED
2026
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Ruth Dameron Obituary
March 31, 1930 -
January 25, 2026
ERWIN - Ruth Davis Dameron, age 95, of Erwin, passed away on Sunday, January 25, 2026, at Hillview Health Care in Elizabethton. A native of Maryville, Tennessee, Ruth is a daughter of the late George and Myrtle (Patterson) Davis. She was a member of Erwin Presbyterian Church. Ruth was previously employed by Oak Ridge Laboratories as a Chemist before relocating to Erwin. She was then employed by the Department of Human Services as a Social Worker. She also taught English in China for five years. Ruth loved traveling and in her younger years traveled all over Europe with her Aunt. She loved church and enjoyed singing in the choir. In addition to her parents, Ruth is preceded in death by her husband of 24 years, Harry Clifford "Cliff" Dameron.
Ruth Davis Dameron has left behind to cherish her memory: her son, David Biggerstaff (Susan); grandchildren, Thomas Biggerstaff and Kayla Morris (Andrew); and great-grandchildren, Silas Morris and Mia Morris.
The family would like to offer special thanks to the Doctors, Nurses, and staff of Hillview Healthcare, who took such good care of her in her last few days.
A committal service will be held in Evergreen Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made in Ruth's name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude’s Place, Memphis, TN 38105
Valley Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Ruth Davis Dameron.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Ruth Dameron
Sponsored by Valley Funeral Home.
1 Entry
Mary Moughon
February 1, 2026
Our oldest son, who has a fantastic memory for experiences, wrote a beautiful tribute to Ruth on our family WhatsApp chat, and then two of his brothers added a few more recollections. I felt these stories should be shared with others, and our boys willingly gave their permission. Looking back, I regret that we hadn´t instructed our children to call this special woman "Auntie Ruth," or at least, "Mrs. Ruth." But neither my husband nor I had had a family friend like that when we were children, nor had we grown up in a region of the country where dear adults were called by their first name and title. So we taught our little ones as we had been taught, to address adults by their last name. Most of these memories originated a decade or two before Ruth married Cliff and changed her surname to Dameron.
from Joel:
I have such fond memories of "Mrs. Biggerstaff," as we were required to call her. Only adults could call her "Ruth." I remember her arriving to our house in the middle of the night to accompany us to the hospital because the next brother was going to be born. Luke and I got to ride in her brand-new red Ford Escort to the brand-new Sycamore Shoals Hospital far away in Elizabethton where she read Berenstain Bears books to us for hours in the waiting room. I remember looking up at the skylights and seeing a black sky while that night seemed to go on forever. Periodically, she would step away momentarily to chat when an adult popped out with an update. Then she was back to entertaining us as we crawled all over the furniture. Finally, Daddy walked out and announced that Hannah Joy was here! While Mama and Daddy rested and took care of Hannah Joy, Mrs. Biggerstaff took us children to McDonald´s for "hotcakes," and then to Millers in the mall to buy baby girl clothes.
When it was time for the next baby to be born, she watched us again, but this time at home. Once Joseph arrived, we all drove to Perkins for breakfast in the brand-new van to celebrate.
I also remember her moving into our house for a week at a time (twice) to babysit while Mama and Daddy went away to attend required homeschool conferences. Sometime prior, a family at church had asked Mama and Daddy to babysit their child for a week or so while they traveled and had provided a bag of groceries which included a bottle of syrup. We were allowed to put the syrup on our oatmeal to greatly improve the taste, but once it was depleted, we knew there would be no replacing it. While Mama and Daddy were at the conference, we convinced Mrs. Biggerstaff to replace the syrup bottle with the largest one we could find.
During one of those weeks, her Presbyterian church and the adjacent Methodist church hosted a combined Vacation Bible School, and she took us there.
We regularly received calls from her asking if she could "drop by," and she always brought a birthday gift or treat.
Many times, she would go to Knoxville to visit her "Aunt Birdie" and bring us back a dozen Dunkin´ Donuts, a very special treat, as there were no Dunkin´ Donuts outlets in the Tri-Cities.
I never realized she was in her 50s/60s during this time, as she did not have a single grey hair.
I remember when she retired from DHS, she decided to teach English in China. She flew an airplane from Knoxville on Northwest Airlines to several far-off cities in order to get there. After a year, she came back and brought us gifts and stories from China. Suddenly, her hair was grey, and she said she had no problem showing grey roots in China because Americans stand out anyway. Then she went back and taught there again.
I remember her calling to "invite us to a wedding" before marrying Mr. Dameron.
I cannot imagine childhood without Mrs. Biggerstaff.
P.S. So many more memories ... like her babysitting us for Mama and Daddy´s regular (one evening) dates or telling us about playing the "Quiet Game" with David or her cat, Sable, who didn´t like people and whom she always had to hide when we visited.
from Luke:
I don´t remember as much as Joel does. I remember going to Sycamore Shoals hospital when Hannah was born (and commenting that Hannah looked very pink), but I don´t recall all the details. I remember her Escort, which we thought was very cool... Mrs. Biggerstaff´s cat... sitting on her couch watching a National Geographic documentary about penguins. She was always kind, and that made a big impression on all of us kids.
from Micah:
I remember how kind and gracious she was about the things I regret telling her. I told her that I loved the name "Mister Bigger-stuff." Once when I saw her get in her car at the corner of Ohio Ave and Horseshoe Circle, I told her that when we go somewhere so close, we just walk. Once she said she would make us lima beans. I told her I didn´t like beans. She said lima beans were different. They were green, but they weren´t green beans. I really liked them and think of her every time I eat them now and how unfailingly sweet she was.
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