Dr. Ruth Whittaker, age 96, resident of Clinton Township, Michigan, passed into the next life on Sunday, February 18, 2024. Ruth was born on September 20, 1927 in McClure, Virginia.
She was the second of five children born to Leslie and Gusta (Mullins) Yates. Beloved wife of Eugene Whittaker (deceased) of 64 years, and loving mother of Brenda Howard and Michael Whittaker.
The life and work of Dr. Ruth A. Whittaker, author, and founder of Bethesda Bible Institute is a testament to the deep love she had for God, the Bible and for her fellow human beings. Her legacy is a complex tapestry that weaves together her scholarship, teaching, and writing with her wisdom, hospitality, and wise counsel. She will be greatly missed by her students, friends, and especially by her family.
Ruth spent her childhood in the rural mountains of Virginia in the heart of Appalachia. Her father was a coal miner and farmer, and her mother was a dedicated wife and mother who laid the foundation for Ruth’s faith and her love of God and his word.
After graduating high school in 1945, Ruth moved northward to seek greater career opportunities in the Detroit area, where she later met and wed Eugene in 1954. She worked in retail sales for many years when she felt a calling to study God’s word that would change the trajectory of her life. Her studies led to opportunities to teach children and adults in her church, and she would later develop a two-year course with an enrollment waiting list. During her years of intensive research, writing and teaching, she earned four degrees, a Bachelor of Theology, Master of Biblical Studies, Master of Divinity, and finally a Doctor of Ministry in 1991.
Ruth authored “Old Covenant Times & Peoples," “Introduction To The New Testament: Writings and Times,” and many other books that include “New Testament Epistles.” She founded the Bethesda Bible Institute, gaining accreditation and educating thousands of students from all over the world. Ruth travelled and taught across the United States, Ukraine and Siberia equipping pastors in remote regions with sound biblical teachings. She led eighteen trips to Israel bringing God’s word to life and received recognition from the state of Israel as an Ambassador of Goodwill.
She retired from her role at Bethesda Bible Institute in 2012, but continued teaching God’s word at various churches and bible studies, and many of her former students and friends sought her counsel through her last days and looked to her as a mother figure.
Ruth loved to entertain and prepare meals for friends and family. She baked large batches of Christmas cookies every year which were loved by all, and catered large-scale events for special occasions. She was a dedicated mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who deeply loved and prayed for her family.
WORDS OF WISDOM FROM RUTH
“Search your heart and make room for what God called you to do. Give yourself over to love the word of God. When you love and respect the word of God, you will find your way. Know that you have a special place that God has called you to. He has given everyone a special gift, and whatever your gift is, let God work.”
Ruth’s immediate and extended family include:
Siblings:
Jay Max Yates (deceased)
Glenna (Yates) Rose (deceased)
Joyce (Yates) Fish
Oren Yates and spouse Inez
Children:
Brenda Howard and spouse James
Michael Whittaker and spouse Rosa (deceased)'
Grandchildren:
Julie Howard
Melissa (Howard) Langworthy and spouse Gerald
Katherine (Whittaker) Peters
David Whittaker and spouse Angela
Great-Grandchildren:
Philip Langworthy
Matthew Langworthy
Sarah Peters
Hannah Peters
Viewing and visitation will be held on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, from 2:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. at the Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Home, 8459 Hall Road Utica, Michigan. Private internment will be held on Thursday, February 29. A public “Celebration of Life” for Ruth will be held mid-April at the Woodside Bible Church, 6600 Rochester Rd. Troy, Michigan. Details forthcoming as they become available.
*All obituaries are submitted by family and friends of the deceased.
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