Ruth Pecktol Shankles

Ruth Pecktol Shankles, formerly of Kingsport, went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, on November 2, 2024. 

Ruth was born on her family’s farm on Wadlow Gap Road in the Bloomingdale community of Kingsport, on February 17, 1924. She graduated from the old Sullivan High School in the Sullivan Gardens section of Kingsport in 1942, where she played on the girl’s varsity basketball team. After graduation, she went to work for Holston Ordnance Works in Kingsport which manufacturered explosives for the U.S. military during World War II. In 1945, she married and moved, first to Quantico, VA, then San Diego, CA, and finally to Ft. Payne, AL. After returning to Kingsport, Ruth worked outside her home until she retired from the Kingsport Press at age 70. Afterward, she continued working part-time jobs including as a cashier at Wal-Mart for several years. She was a member of Higher Ground Baptist Church in Kingsport before moving to Hickory, NC, in 2018. 

Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, Flem H. Pecktol and Eva Fleenor Pecktol; her sisters and brothers: Manie Miller, Irene Childress, Elizabeth Medlin, Frances Hickam, Rachel Dykes, Margaret Bedford, Henry Pectol and Flem Pecktol; and 3 grandchildren: Jamie Shankles, Melissa Fielding and David Shankles. She is survived by her four sons, Ernie (wife Donna) of Mint Hill, NC, David (wife Karen) of Shelby, NC, Roland (wife Karen) of Knoxville, TN, and Charles (wife Jean) of Hickory, NC; 13 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. 

Ruth will be buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery where the family plans a private graveside service.