Ruth Louise (Knight) Laws

On June 14th, 2015 Ruth Louise Knight Laws left this life and entered heaven.  In 1927, Ruth was born in Jacksonville, Florida.  She was the third of four children.  Her mother died when she was age six, but God sent her an angel in the form of a housekeeper / nanny named Bertha Franklin who filled the void. During the Great Depression, Ruth’s father told Bertha there was not enough money to keep her full time.  Bertha told him to just pay her what he could, but she was not leaving as God wanted her to take care of the children. Later, the Laws family made many journeys from the Pacific Northwest back to Jacksonville to see Bertha; there was a special bond of love between the two.

Ruth’s father passed away when she was age 15, and then in 1944 at age 17, Ruth met Ensign Mel Laws, a newly commissioned 21- year-old Navy fighter pilot from Kelso, Washington. He saw Ruth on a city bus and asked for her phone number, but Ruth quickly quipped “I don’t date Navy men!” When this young Ensign stood in the bus doorway at her stop refusing to move until she gave him her phone number, passengers began yelling “Just give him the number!” She relented but required he must first meet her family. Six months later they married before the Navy sent him to an aircraft carrier in the south Pacific to fight in WWII. Ruth moved to Kelso WA. to live with Mel’s mother while he served his country.  After he returned to civilian life, they were rarely apart over the next 70 years.  He was still at Ruth’s side holding her hand when she peacefully passed.

While women of her day rarely went to college, Ruth made education a life-long journey. She spent most of her life as a student and teacher. She eventually finished her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Missouri, Kansas City at age 57. But she always put her husband’s career first as she followed him in more than a dozen moves first as a Navy pilot’s wife, then into the ministry, as missionaries together in the Philippines, into academia at Mid-America Nazarene University, and back to the ministry.

Upon retirement just over 20 years ago, they settled in Nampa where both had attended Northwest Nazarene University and their daughter Linda Lawson raised her family.  In retirement, they travelled extensively in their motorhome with Kings Travelers. Ruth enjoyed researching family genealogy. Her research led her to become an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Colonial Dames.   Over the last decade she fought valiantly against dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, but now she is finally in a place of peace.

Ruth Laws is survived by her husband Mel Laws of Nampa, daughter Linda and Gary Lawson of Nampa, daughter Melanie and John Alkire of Bend, OR, son John and Kamila Laws of Vancouver, WA, and nine grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren.  Ruth so valued education, the family suggests donations be made for student scholarships in honor of Ruth K. Laws to Nampa’s  ‘EE-DAH-HOW’ chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Donations may be sent to Kathy Lindauer, 4645 W. Dawson Drive, Meridian, ID.  83646 or memorial contributions may be made to Nampa First Church of the Nazarene, 601 16th. Ave. So., Nampa, Idaho 83651.

The family will greet loved ones and friends at the Nampa Funeral Home, Yraguen Chapel, 415 12th Ave. So. – Nampa – 442-8171 on Friday evening from 6pm to 8pm.  A Celebration of Life service will be held at Nampa First Church of the Nazarene, 601 16th Ave South, Nampa, on Saturday, June 20th, at 10:30 AM.  Burial will be on Monday June 22 at 1pm at Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, 10100 North Horseshoe Bend Road, Boise Idaho.

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