Ruth Angeline Zimmerman

Ruth Angeline Baker Zimmerman of Spring City, TN, went to meet her Savior in Heaven on March 5, 2011 at age 98. Ruth was born to Edward Reed Baker and Olive Edith Smelker Baker on June 13, 1912 at her home in Alpha, Saskatchewan, Canada. In 1926, due to her mother’s declining health, she and her siblings Robert, Nellie and twin sister Iola, moved to Chicago, IL to live with their father’s sister. Ruth accepted the Lord as her personal Savior at age fourteen.
In 1931, Ruth met Paul Zimmerman and on June 30, 1934 they were married. The Lord led them into different missionary and church-planting work in Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee. In 1944, Ruth and Paul moved to Rhea County, Tennessee. Cedine Bible Mission was begun in 1946 and Christian Fellowship Church of Grandview was started in 1948. Even though family, mission and church kept Ruth and Paul very busy, they always counted it their highest privilege to be servants of the Lord Jesus Christ: “To Know Him and to make Him known.”
In 1973, Paul, at the age of 66, was taken to Heaven. Although Ruth missed him very much, she never wavered in her commitment to her Lord.
Ruth was also preceded in death by her parents Edward Reed Baker and Olive Edith Smelker Baker; siblings, her twin, Iola Pauline Baker, sister Nellie Mae Renslow, brother Robert Allen Baker, sons-in-law Joseph Potchen, Wayne Owsley and Charles Germaine, daughter-in-law Bettye Grace Starring Zimmerman, grandson’s wives Sarah Jane KenKnight Zimmerman and Kay Cecil Huseby Zimmerman, granddaughter Rebecca Ann Zimmerman, great-grandchildren Kristen Grace Adams and Jordan Paul Zimmerman. Those who survive her include sons Dwight (Phyllis) Zimmerman, Calvin (Marilyn) Zimmerman and Titus (Donna) Zimmerman, daughters Joy Owsley and Ruth Ann Potchen, 16 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great grandchildren.
Vanderwall Funeral Home, Highway 27, Dayton, TN (423) 775-2662 or www.vanderwallfh.com is in charge of Ruth’s services. Family will receive friends Friday, March 11 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Vanderwall Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at Cedine Bible Mission Jubilee Hall, 333 Cedine Camp Rd., Spring City, TN (423) 365-9565, on Saturday, March 12 at 10:30 am. Interment is at Cedine Cemetery.
Gift contributions, in the memory of Ruth Zimmerman may be made to the Cedine Bible Mission.