    
Born Ruth Elizabeth Norton in Youngwood,
Pennsylvania in 1926, the author and her three brothers and one sister
were raised by their widowed mother in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
During her high school years, the author wrote a novel and sent it away
to be evaluated. When it was returned with a few suggested
changes, she became discouraged, tore it up, and considered her writing
career a total failure.
On a snowy
Christmas Eve, 1944, the author was married to Sgt. Earl Sutherland of
the Eighth Air Force and, after being separated for a year, settled down
to raising a family when the war ended.
In 1957, with six children, they moved to
Lorain, Ohio and waited for a new Ford plant to be built. Here
they added three "Buckeyes" to the family, making a total of nine
children. It was during these busiest times of her life that the
author began writing poetry and felt that this was a God-given talent to
be shared and enjoyed by family and friends. Many of the poems in
this work were written for (or about) the Sutherland children and quite
a few were for friends in time of need or for special encouragement.
Some were inspired by messages preached by pastors and evangelists.
The author's oldest son, Paul, used to
teasingly say, "Some day, Mom, we're going to see your name up in
lights." Paul lost a battle with cancer in 1974 without knowing
his Mother's poems would some day be published. Richard and Billy
are in the ministry. John is free from epilepsy and is
courageously competing in the rat-race of life. Daughters Ruthie,
Carol, Peggy, Jerri and Kathy are all happily married and are busy
raising families. The joint effort of these nine families blessed
the author and her husband with TWENTY-SIX lovely, lively grandchildren,
and TWENTY great grandchildren (with THREE more on the
way). Retired in 1983 from Ford, they are now free
to spend time with their families who are scattered across the United
States.
On June 24, 2005, Ruth went Home to be with her Lord. She will be greatly
missed.
(last updated July 2005)
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