Ruth Joy Gulley (Seltenright)

Ruth Joy Gulley was born in Louisville, KY Oct. 7, 1930 although all official birth records are listed as October 8, 1930 due to the doctor not filing the birth until the next day. This Depression Era baby was born to her parents Ruth Pickerl and Russell Ellsworth Seltenright. They moved to Indiana four years later to farm the land. She had two older brothers that mercilessly teased and pranked her but she loved them dearly. Hubert Pickerl Seltenright (Navy) and Jonathan Russell Seltenright (Army) both fought in World War II. Johnny was killed in action and is buried in Epinal, France. Hubert went on to be a successful businessman and raise a beautiful family. Joyce Miriam was Ruth Joy’s sister who died at age three prior to Ruth Joy’s birth. Ruth Joy lived on a farm in Indiana until she went to college. In her high school days, she played the trombone in the marching band, she was a vocal soloist, and also sang with a Ladies Trio and a Mixed Quartet and performed throughout northern Indiana. She was pursued by several young men but she had plans to be an opera singer.

She was a Voice major at Wheaton Conservatory, Chicago, IL, but after a soccer injury transferred to Bryan College, in Dayton, Tennessee, then finding that the school was not challenging enough for her vocal performance requirements for future study at Julliard Conservatory, she transferred to Indiana University in Bloomington, IL a great preparation for Julliard. Here, she met Willard C. Gulley who was a Criminal Justice major. They both worked at a local diner called the Grid Iron to pay their way through college, where Bill was a short order cook and Ruth Joy was a waitress. There they fell in love and made plans to marry. Bill was also in the ROTC and after graduating was briefly stationed in Columbia, SC prior to deploying to Japan.

During this brief stay, Bill and Ruth Joy married in a simple Army chapel on May 31, 1953. Ruth Joy returned to Indiana and worked in a local music store and continued her singing engagements. After a year, she was able to join Bill in Japan, and enjoyed living there and soaking up the sights and the culture. After two years in Japan together, Bill and Ruth Joy returned to the US where Bill had major surgery at Fitzsimmons Army Hospital in Aurora, Colorado. While Bill was recovering in the hospital, Ruth Joy gave birth to their first daughter, Angela Ruth Gulley. They both supported each other while they recovered in the same hospital and then lived in Aurora for the following year.

Army life took the family to Virginia, Ludwigsburg, Germany for 3 years, Virginia again where their second daughter, Teryl Joy Gulley was born. Next, the family moved to Portland, Oregon for 2 ½ years. Then they were stationed in Istanbul, Turkey for 2 ½ years. Unfortunately, the family was separated due to the Vietnam War and the family went back to Indiana while Bill completed his mission in Seoul, Korea. After his final deployment, Bill rejoined the family in Indiana for two years until their final move to Maryland, which is still their home.

Ruth Joy Gulley lived a full life with a constant theme of service to God and family. Throughout all of their moves, Ruth Joy found ways to serve the Lord and share the gospel with others. As a mother, she shared the gospel with her daughters, taught them Bible scriptures and Bible songs, and encouraged them to memorize scriptures.

She held Bible clubs to share the gospel with neighborhood children even when we lived in Germany, she taught Sunday School classes, and spoke at church ladies’ meetings.

While her daughters were in school, she changed her major to Education and graduated from Bowie State University and taught Kindergarten through Grade 3 in Anne Arundel County Public Schools for 14 years, (Point Pleasant ES, Rippling Woods ES, Richard Henry Lee ES, Southgate ES, Brooklyn Park ES, George Cromwell ES, Four Seasons ES, Ferndale ES).

She continued her solo singing in churches and church choirs, the Annapolis Chorale, and Encore choral group. She was also an active member of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution). She has visited every state in the US except Alaska. She has traveled to a majority of European countries, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Unfortunately the love of her life, Bill age 68, passed in 1998.

At age 69 she felt called to be a Missionary teacher in Kiev, Ukraine for 3 years, where she taught school and also worked with the Jesus Film Project ministering in rural parts of Ukraine. After her return to Maryland, she also ministered on other mission trips to China, Indonesia, and Myanmar to share the gospel message through service and testimony.

Ruth Joy is survived by her oldest daughter Angela Reisler (husband, Peter Reisler) and grandchildren Lindsay Joy Hamilton (husband John) and Philip Maxwell Reisler (wife, Kristie) and great granddaughter, Anya Lynn Reisler. Ruth Joy is also survived by her younger daughter, Teryl Joy Thompson, (husband, Randy) and granddaughter Taylor Joy Thompson. Also, she is survived by a host of loving nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Ruth Joy was always a fierce prayer warrior and supported so many with her prayers and petitions to God. If she were here today, she would implore you to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and follow him, read the Bible and pray. We will see her again in heaven and we rejoice that she is with God and with all of her loved ones that have gone before her.