Ruth (Cookingham) Gafill

March 16, 1999

Ruth (Cookingham) Gafill, a longtime resident of this city, died on Tuesday, March 16, 1999. The daughter of Warren and Mary (Klich) Cookingham, Mrs. Gafill was born in Chicago, Ill. She was the wife of J. Bruce Gafill, Jr., who she married on June 26, 1931. Mr. Gafill died in 1974. She was also preceded in death by a granddaughter.

A graduate of South Bend Central High School, Mrs. Gafill attended the School of Speech at Northwestern University. While there she became a member of the Sigma Chapter of Delta Gamma, a national social sorority. She was a member of the First Presbyterian - Church, the Reserve League later the Junior League - of South Bend, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Northern Indiana Historical Society, Hoosier Art Patrons, L'Alliance Francaise, the Morris Park Country Club and the University Club. During World War II Mrs. Gafill and her family lived in Pensacola and Miami Beach, Fla., and New Orleans, La., while her husband, a commissioned officer and flight instructor, served in the U.S. Naval Air Force. Mrs. Gafill also enjoyed extensive travel in this country, Europe and the Mediterranean.

Mrs. Gafill is survived by her daughter, Mrs. Jane Gafill Towner of Chatham, Mass.; her son, J. Bruce Gafill, Ill, of South Bend; six grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren; and by a niece and a nephew.

Memorial services will take place at a later date. Mrs. Gafill's remains and her husband's will be intermingled and interred in the family plot at Riverview Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Hope Rescue Mission, to the Northern - Indiana Historical Society, to Memorial Hospital, or to the charity of donor's choice.

Arrangements are being handied by the Welsheimer Funeral Home

Source: Newspapers.com

10/29/2024 EJS