Ruth Wilson Adams 1926-2012

Grandma Adams' Obituary:

Ruth Wilson Adams, 86, of Holladay, Utah died on June 29, 2012 in Salt Lake City. Born May 31, 1926 in Midway, Utah to Reese Arthur and Eva Huber Wilson, she was the second child and first daughter of seven children. A child of the Depression, Ruth learned about frugality, hardship, and loss at an early age, but in her usual way, turned trials into qualities of determination, persistence and creativity. The death of her father in a mining accident the day before her 14th birthday only cemented those characteristics.
 
After spending her youth in Midway, Ruth left to attend Brigham Young University in the fall of 1944. There she met her future husband, Arza Paul Adams, and they were married December 20, 1945. Upon his graduation from BYU, they moved to Ames, Iowa, where Paul completed his Ph.D. After a year back in Utah, they moved to Fargo, North Dakota for nine years. In 1963, they settled their family in Holladay.
 
And what a family it was! Ruth gave birth to her first child in December 1946, and had 12 other children in a 20 year span. Never one to be idle, she served as LDS Relief Society President, PTA President, and working mother during much of that time. Perhaps one of her proudest accomplishments, given her deep love of education and knowledge, was to complete her Bachelor of Science degree the week before the birth of her last child. She then went on to receive her MBA and CPA license in the next three years. After receiving her degrees, she worked as a private CPA and for the Ensign Corporation under Dave Ensign, taking over many of the operations of the company after his death in 1976.
 
Upon retiring, Ruth and Paul served a mission in Leeds, England. They also served as volunteers in the Translation and Farm Management Departments of the LDS Church.
 
When asked to describe her life, Ruth used two words: busy and work. Those words go far to describe the key to her greatness. Ruth understood in a profound way that to serve is to do. And so she did, as she would say, "what was required and expected." A woman of a quiet and unassuming generosity of spirit, she was tolerant and kind. At the same time, she was driven by a powerful need to demand the best of herself, not to please anyone else, but because that was what she required and she expected. Although her presence will be greatly missed, Ruth's spirit is firmly rooted in those of us she left behind.
 
Ruth is preceded in death by her husband, Arza Paul Adams, and her children, David James Adams and Susan Kay Adams. She is also preceded in death by her brothers Harold Huber Wilson, James Martin Wilson, Reese Alan Wilson, David LeRoy Wilson and sister Helen Elizabeth Taylor. Survivors include her children Marty DeBloois (Mike), Wilson Paul Adams (LeeAnn), Ruth Ann LeBaron (Neil), Mary Mahoney (Steve), John Arza Adams (Lisa), Harold Kenneth Adams (Marie), Stephen Arthur Adams (Michele), Robert Alan Adams (Lynne), Bruce Kevin Adams (Lynnette), Andrea Moesser (David), and Daniel Jeffery Adams (Jennifer). Ruth is also survived by 46 grandchildren and 51 great grandchildren.
 

Viewing will be held Thursday, July 5, from 6 to 8 pm at Larkin Sunset Lawn (2350 East 1300 South) and Friday, July 6, from 9:30 to 10:30 at the Holladay South Stake Center (4917 Viewmont St.). Memorial services will be held at 11 am on Friday, July 6, at the Holladay South Stake Center. Internment will take place at the Pleasant Grove Cemetery.