Ruby Skeeter

Ruby W. Skeeter PORTSMOUTH - Mrs. Ruby Wilkins Skeeter entered into eternal rest Aug. 26, 2009, at 3 a.m. An affectionate individual who truly loved God and Jesus the Christ was quietly called home to be with our Lord and Savior. On Aug. 22, 1920, in Washington, D.C., Ruby Wilkins came into this world as the only child of Tom Riley and Ella Wilkins and granddaughter of Delta and Samuel Wilkins of Gates County, North Carolina. She was raised in Old Berkley, Va. She was predeceased by her husband, William J. Skeeter. Mrs. Skeeter was employed as a cashier at the former Lyric Theater. She and her husband owned a confectionery store and later the Skeeter Flower and Gift Shop. After her husband's death, the floral shop was closed Mrs. Skeeter retired from the business. She joined Zion Baptist Church in the 1940s under the Rev. E.G. Wilson. A faithful member and dutiful steward, she promised our God that she would work as hard as she could for Him in Zion after her retirement. Mrs. Skeeter serviced her church under the Revs. Wilson, Parrish, Whitaker, Jones, Roberts and Little. As a shut-in member she was ministered to by Thomas T. Shields Sr., interim pastor. She was a faithful member of the Deaconess Ministry and she served on the Auditing Committee and the Finance Committee. Mrs. Skeeter sang with the Young Peoples Choir and the Gospel Choir, and a member of the Usher Ministry. She was a faithful Sunday school member and attended the Noon Day Prayer Services. She was a member of the Martha Chapter No. 10 of the Order of the Eastern Star and as a business owner, a member of Allied Florist Association in this region for several years. She is survived by four cousins: June Bess, Cynesse Wilkins, Jane Johnson and Mandamin Wilkins, and her dearest friends, Margaret Rooks, Doris Benson, Thomas A. Edwards and Louise Smith. A funeral will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 3709 Winchester Drive, Portsmouth, with Dr. Kevin Turner presiding. Interment will be in Union Baptist Church Cemetery, Corapeake, N.C. Viewing will begin Monday at noon. The body will be in the church Tuesday at 10 a.m. Friends will assemble at the funeral home Tuesday at 10 a.m.