Ruth Barbour

Obituary Ruth Peeling Barbour, 90, died at her home in Morehead City Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014. Her funeral is 11:00 a.m. Saturday, December 13, at Shepherd of the Sea Lutheran Church in Atlantic Beach with the pastor, the Rev. Scott Berry, officiating. A reception will be held afterward in the church fellowship hall. Ruth was born Oct. 24, 1924, to Lucian and Hilda Peeling in York, Pa. Her life was amazing and impressive with many exceptional accomplishments and a truly staggering amount of work in numerous areas of expertise. However, the best of Ruth Barbour was her big heart, her honesty, her generosity and her loyalty. She was a wonderful wife, sister, aunt, stepmother and friend. She shared everything she had time, money, interest, concern, again and again. A tremendously intelligent person, she was also endowed with plenty of common sense, which served her well throughout her life. She had a great love affair with her husband and they had a wonderful time together. They shared a love of books, lifelong learning and travel. They went around the world having adventures such as riding mules into a formerly lost city in Egypt. At the end of her life, she demonstrated true courage, which was an inspiration to everyone around her. All the things she did certainly made the world, especially Carteret County, a better place for many people. Sometimes when you need a hero, you get one, and that was Ruth Barbour. She began her life of accomplishment at Syracuse University as a member of Phi Beta Kappa graduating with a degree in history and journalism. She worked for The Beaufort News starting in 1946. After a six-month stint working on a weekly in Virginia, she returned as editor of the Carteret County News-Times, a merger of The Beaufort News and the Twin City Daily Times in Morehead City. She took a leave of absence in 1952-53 to obtain a masters degree in journalism from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla., where she was elected to the scholastic honorary society, Phi Kappa Phi. Although she retired in 1976, she continued writing editorials, a weekly column under her name and Soueaster as Capt. Henry. She covered events and wrote stories, along with feature stories. People all over the county and state would send her tidbits of information for inclusion in her column making it uniquely about Carteret County. Ruth loved research and the printed word but she was never satisfied with just having a day job. She was a charter member of the Carteret Business and Professional Womens Club, a member of the Morehead City Business and Professional Womans Club, the Carteret County Friends of the Library, the County Salvation Army Advisory Board, a past B&PW district director and county civil defense chairman in the 1950s. She was president of the Carteret Community Theatre, her favorite job, where she was a driving force. Her love of the theatre led her to write and direct six plays, Otway Burns, Firebrand of 1812, Bonnie Blue Sweetheart, It Happened Here, The Best of All, On These Shores and Blackbeard, Raider of the Carolina Seas, all based on Carteret County history and all produced by the theatre. In the process, she also won several awards for best actress and director. She was a member of the Carteret Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, served on the board of the State Society of Historians, as well as the N.C. Society of Daughters of 1812 and the Snap Dragon Chapter. She was a supporter and volunteer for The History Place in Morehead City. She loved history, especially local history, and she was very supportive of the Beaufort Historical Association. The idea of a gift shop in the Beaufort historic area was hers and in the 1960s she was supervisor of the shop, staffed by college students, during the tourism season. Ruth was also a motivating force in the establishment of the Carteret Community Foundation and held various offices in the organization over the years. In 2007, she established the Barbour-Henry Endowment in memory of her husband, J.O. Barbour Jr., and her grandfather, Charles T. Henry, at Carteret Community College, specifically for the NCMARTEC program. She produced books, articles, plays, poetry, juvenile fiction and essays on anything and everything. As well as plays for the theatre, she wrote the 1960-1990 history of the Beaufort Historical Association. She also wrote the History of Newspapers in Carteret County, N.C., 1852-1992 as well as Open Grounds, Then and Now a history of the 44,000-acre Carteret County farm. She contributed to Our State magazine on numerous occasions. Her historical novel, Cruise of the Snap Dragon about Otway Burns during the War of 1812, was one of her best-known works. She received a number of writing awards from the N.C. Press Association and the N.C. Society of County and Local Historians. Many local clubs and associations also recognized her with awards throughout her service over many years. Ruth is survived by her sister, Margaret Hall of New Brunswick, Canada; stepdaughters, Dail Barbour and Jo Anne Barbour of Jackson, Wyo.; granddaughter, Kendra Russo of Heber City, Utah; nieces, Sally Bell of Farmer City, Ill., and Patricia Taniashvili, Surry, Maine; nephew, John Hall, New Brunswick, Canada; and numerous great-nieces and nephews. Her husband, J.O. Barbour Jr., preceded her in death. In Ruths memory, donations may be made to Shepherd of the Sea Lutheran Church, 201 East Fort Macon Road, Atlantic Beach, NC 28512, Carteret General Hospital Foundation for Hospice of Carteret County, P. O. Drawer 1619, Morehead City, NC 28557 or a charity of your choice. Memorial Service 11:00 a.m. ,Saturday, December 13, 2014 Shepherd of the Sea Lutheran Church 201 E. Fort Macon Road Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 Reception following service Shepherd of the Sea Lutheran Church 201 E. Fort Macon Road Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 Services You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or by planting a memorial tree in the memory of Ruth Barbour