Ruth Payne Brenner, 74, of Waco passed away on Tuesday, April 11, 2017. A Memorial Service will be 2:00 pm on Saturday, April 15, 2017 at OakCrest Funeral Home, with Rev. Ron Renfro officiating.

Ruth was born in Detroit, Michigan, the eldest child of Sydney and Margaret Payne. Most of her earlier years were lived in Tamaqua, PA, with her parents and brother, James, and sister Laurel.

Ruth’s care for people led her to a career in nursing. She received her RN certification at Abington Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia, PA and soon went to her first job in Boston, Mass. at Boston Children’s Hospital. It was in Boston that Ruth and Herb met through a mutual friend. It was there that a wonderful marriage of fifty-five years had it’s roots. Ruth and Herb were married in February of 1965.

Over the years she worked as a pediatric nurse, a veterans’ care nurse, a hospital head nurse, a family practice nurse, then on to become a nurse with Drs. Bob Brown and Sam Ralston in 1984. Ruth and Sam become very close and patients often called Ruth at home, asking Herb if they could speak to “Dr. Ruth”.

At the passing of her father, Ruth was so “taken” with hospice nursing care given to her father, that she reluctantly left private nursing and spend the remainder of her career as a hospice nurse with the Providence Hospice group in Waco.

Wife, Mother, Nurse … that was Ruth

Preceding Ruth in death were her parents, Sidney and Margaret Payne and son, Robert Christopher Brenner.

She is survived by husband, Herb Brenner, Jr.; son, and daughter-in-law, Troy D. Brenner and Alexandria (Kess) Brenner; also a sister, Laurel Tackett and brother-in-law Phil Tackett; brother, James Payne and sister-in-law Nancy Payne. By Marriage, also, Greg and Becka Brenner, plus numerous nieces and nephews from both sides of the family and “chosen” family Pam and Brandon Hyatt and Sam Ralston.

Our utter sadness of loss will, at some time, be replaced by the joy of a “Life Well Lived”

In lieu of flowers, the family requests the memorials made be made to Providence Hospice, 6700 Sanger Avenue, Waco, Texas 76710.