Ruth Nash

Ruth Nash, 96, of Beaumont, died Friday, May 3, 2019, at Spindletop Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Beaumont. She was born Ruth Phyllis Birkland on April 12, 1923, in Wolf Point, Montana, to Mina Rose and Torval Birkland.

Ruth was the seventh of ten children born to Norwegian immigrants making a new life in the New World. Growing up, she worked in her mother’s restaurant in Wolf Point where her family was a large part of the fabric of daily life. During the war years, Ruth went to Washington, D. C. to work as part of the war effort. Returning to Montana, she again worked in the family restaurant where she met her husband, R.L. Nash, a tall Texan working in the oil exploration business. She followed him back to Texas where she lived for the remainder of her life. Ruth worked as a secretary, eventually retiring from American National Life Insurance Co.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Mina and Torval; sisters, Martha Kugler, Mayme Strom, Eva Grotte, Lorraine Edwards, Helen Rusche, and Audrey Iverson; brothers, Thorleif, Odin, and Robert (Sonny) Birkland; and her youngest son, Thomas Torval Nash.

Ruth is survived by her daughter, Happy Spillar of Galveston, Texas; and son, Rowdy Nash of Beaumont, Texas; grandchildren, Tracy Maxwell, Karen Spillar, Kelley Waters, Tom Spillar, Kim Cash, Kyle Nash, and Amanda Martin; as well as a host of great-grandchildren and extended family.

A memorial service for Ms. Nash will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday May 9, 2019, at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 4330 Crow Road, Beaumont, under the direction of Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. A private committal will be held at Broussard’s, Crematorium, Beaumont.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Redeemer Lutheran Church, 4330 Crow Road, Beaumont, Texas 77706.