Ruth Overman

Ruth Overman, 87, of Wilson, died Thursday, July 6, 2023, in her home surrounded by her family.

The service will be on Saturday, July 22, 2023, 1:00 PM, at First Baptist Church, Wilson, followed by visitation in the fellowship hall.

Ruth was born and raised in Edenton, NC to the late Richard Felton and Ruth Holmes Elliott.  She had one older brother, the late Richard Felton Elliott, Jr.  She attended Edenton High School and later Saint Mary’s School in Raleigh, from which she graduated in 1954. 

Ruth married her high school sweetheart, the late Clifford Overman, and together they had three children.  Most of their early married life was in Virginia, and a job change landed them in Wilson, NC in 1973.

“Ruth Rea” worked in the Wilson County public school system for 30 years as a reading tutor for elementary students.  She remained involved in the First Baptist Church of Wilson since 1973, where she found deep community with friends who became like family to her.  Ruth was known for her gift of encouragement through the sending of homemade greeting cards to the sick, the bereaved, and the rejoicing.

Surviving her are her sons, George Clifford Overman, Jr. (Cindy) of N. Myrtle Beach, SC; and Richard Elliott Overman (Barbara) of Rocky Mount; and her daughter, Ruth Overman Arensman (Todd) of Valdese; 18 grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren; sister-in-love, Ruth Bass of Edenton; and many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the First Baptist Church of Wilson, PO Box 1467, Wilson, NC 27894.

Arrangements by Wilson Memorial Service, 2811 Fieldstream Dr N, Wilson, NC 27896, www.wilsonmemorialservice.com, (252) 237-7171.