Ruth Ellen Shoemaker, 90, passed away on Saturday, October 12, 2024. Ruth was born in Westchester, Ohio, the middle child of Roy and Martha Gardner. After finishing high school she enlisted in the Navy, and served as a hospital corpsman in the WAVES during the Korean conflict. After her service she married and had three children, Linda, Robert and Cindy. Later she married the love of her life, CJ Shoemaker on August 1, 1969, and together they were parents to the children. She returned to the medical career earning her LPN, her RN, and finally a bachelor's in nursing from Hampton University.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband and son, her parents and siblings, and her great granddaughter Cassandra Akers. Ruth leaves to cherish her memory, daughters, Dr. Linda Schneider and Cindy Brown; grandchildren, Daria Akers (Joe), Elizabeth Merritt (Chad), Nigel Schneider, John Pace, Mark Pace, Jaron Farassat (Lindsay), Eric Pace (Maria), Caleb Brown, Lilianna Pace, Gabriella Pace, and Christina Arnberg; and great-grandchildren, Leslie Kennedy Akers, Clark Akers, Kai Merritt, Ivy Pace, and Juniper Farassat.

A visitation will be held at 10:30 AM on Saturday October 19th at Bethany Methodist Church, 1509 Todds Lane, Hampton, with the funeral service to follow at 11:30 AM.  Interment will follow in Parklawn Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Transitions Domestic Violence Services, P. O. Box 561, Hampton, VA 23669 or transitionsfvs.org/donate-3 or to HELP, P.O. Box 190 Hampton VA 23669 or https://helphampton.org/donations/make-a-gift/.