Ruth Annette Brookins (December 18, 1920-April 29, 2020)

Ruth Annette Womack Brookins, 99, passed away on April 29, 2020 at Creekside Continuing Care Community in Burlington, WA following a long decline in health.  She was born December 18, 1920 in McMinnville, Tennessee to Claude and Mary Womack.

Raised in Tennessee and Oklahoma during the Great Depression, Ruth learned the value of hard work from an early age. The fourth of four daughters, her father counted on her to help with the livestock, pick cotton and assist with all farm chores until her brother, Milton, was born.  After graduating from Sasaskwa High School in 1939, she worked rounding up cattle on her cousin's ranch, becoming a skilled horsewoman.

Using money she earned on the ranch, Ruth followed in her sister Dorothy's footsteps and became a registered nurse, graduating from Wesley Hospital School of Nursing in 1943.  Shortly after, she moved to Oakland, CA and worked as a surgical nurse during WWII.  On a quick midnight meal break at a cafe near the hospital she met her future husband, Richard L. Brookins, who escorted her back to the hospital during a blackout.

Ruth had been a resident of Mount Vernon since November 1945 following her marriage to Richard.  In 1946 while in the late stages of pregnancy with their first child, Harold, Ruth helped finish the roof on the house they were building together.

Ever a modern woman, she worked first at Skagit General Hospital, moving to Skagit Valley Hospital after it opened in 1957.  She stayed current with her education, working in every department of the hospital, from surgical to pediatric to orthopedic to oncology until her retirement in 1983.  Common dinner table conversation in the Brookins' house included detailed accounts (sometimes a bit too detailed!) of her most recent medical cases.

Ruth was a skilled baker known for her pies, breads, biscotti, and cookies and was an excellent seamstress and craftsperson. She loved to volunteer to help the community, whether at Red Cross blood drives or the Skagit Gleaners.  Active at Emmanuel Baptist Church, she used her gifts to help make quilted banners, served in the kitchen at church events, and often helped in the nursery.

Ruth is survived by her children Harold Brookins (Susan) of Seattle and April Brookins Duvic (Greg) of Vancouver, WA and beloved niece, Florence Sumrall Harig of Sparks, NV.  They wish to acknowledge the incredible love and care provided to Ruth by Kay Cyr of Home Instead as well as that of the staff at Creekside Continuing Care.

Besides her parents, Ruth was predeceased by her husband Richard Brookins and her siblings, Alma Sumrall Gage, Dorothy Womack, Virginia Enos, and Milton Womack.

A celebration and remembrance of Ruth Brookins' life will be held at Hawthorne Funeral Home, Mount Vernon once restrictions on gatherings are lifted.  Arrangements and cremation are under the care of Hawthorne Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to United Ostomy Associations of America at P.O. Box 525 Kennebunk, ME 04043-0525 or online at https://www.ostomy.org/donate/