October 16, 1919 –  July 26, 2016  Ruth Ellen McDowell Wilson, 96, of Sherman, Texas, quietly passed away at Texoma Medical Center, Denison, Texas, on July 26, 2016 with her son and daughter-in-law by her side. Ruth was born to Hugh Raymond and Olive (Means) McDowell on October 16, 1919 in Washington, Pennsylvania. She was a registered nurse and in charge of the LVN Program for 19 years at Good Shepherd Hospital in Longview, Texas which is associated with Kilgore College. She graduated in 1940 from the University of Pittsburg and was the oldest surviving graduate of the nursing program. During WWII, she worked for the American Red Cross while her husband was in the Army Air Corp in Europe. She was also part of the first graduating class of women at Texas A&M where she earned her BA degree. She married Clair Irwin Wilson, her high school sweetheart, on August 30, 1941 in Kentucky. They had a long, loving life together until his death in 2004. They loved to travel and made many friends across the United States. They resided in Longview for 35 years before moving to their son’s farm in Gordonville, Texas in 2000 to be closer to her family.
She is survived by her son, Hugh M. Wilson and wife, Jan of Gordonville, Texas; daughter, Kathleen C. Mills and her husband, William of Denver, Colorado; grandsons, Scott Wilson, David Mills, and Seth Wilson; granddaughters, Meghan Hess, Tammy Dalton, and Michelle Drew and 11 great-grandchildren.
Burial will be at a later date in Gordonville Cemetery, Gordonville, Texas.
To sign the online registry, please go to: www.meadorfuneralhomes.com

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