Ruth Taylor Berry

Ruth Taylor Berry, 72, went to Heaven on the morning of Tuesday, February 10, 2026. She was a cherished wife, devoted mother, beloved friend, and proud YiaYia.

When Ruth was born to Clayton and Gladys Taylor in El Dorado, Arkansas on September 8, 1953, she was the fifth child under the age of three; she grew up amid constant motion- an upbringing which instilled early lessons that life was an adventure and everyone a potential friend.

Ruth adored her older siblings- George, Martha, Joyce, and Julia- and deeply respected her parents. Her childhood was spent making memories at the Taylor farm and on family road trips across the continent. Whether traveling or in town, the Taylor girls cut a memorable figure in their color-coded outfits: Martha in blue, Joyce in pink, Julia in yellow, and Ruth in green.

Ruth loved animals from childhood. She told stories of rescued farm animals (“Virginia” the pig and an angora goat named “RuTamSa”), her old horse “Pearl”, beloved family dogs, and two rescued baby squirrels, “Nipper and Skipper”. She never outgrew the instinct to take in any four-legged or winged creature.

Ruth was a 1971 graduate of El Dorado High School. She joined her sister Martha at Mississippi University for Women, where she earned her degree in Political Science. A highlight in her life was the year that she and Martha spent studying in Perugia, Italy. Ruth became fluent in Italian and developed an enduring love for the country, its people, and its culture.

While studying at the W, Ruth met Scott, a Columbus boy who would become her lifelong love and partner. Unimpressed by him at first, when he asked for her number, Ruth declined. Fortunately, Martha was prescient enough to write the number on a napkin, which Scott rakishly waved at Ruth as he walked out the door. Ruth and Scott were married on January 30, 1976. Weeks before her passing, Ruth marked their 50th wedding anniversary.

Ruth and Scott settled in Columbus, but whether for work or pleasure, they covered the globe. They loved trips built around sport of every kind: hunting, skiing, horseback riding, and fishing. In cities rich with sites to see, Ruth excelled at her children’s most-dreaded sport: speed walking. Following the example of her mother, Ruth traveled extensively with her three kids; she led them on many beautiful adventures, including some that tested their nerve. She scrutinized their table etiquette before a trip to D.C.; she arranged their transit through rural Guatemala on a chicken bus; and she and Scott accompanied them through the Beartooth Mountains of Montana on horseback. She took all six of her grandchildren on a road trip to discover Constitution Hall and Christ Church in Philadelphia, admire the beauty of Niagara Falls, and taste fresh maple syrup in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Over the years, Ruth also traveled with many friends, delighting them with her gift for finding off-the-beaten-path adventures and filling each day to the brim with fun and learning all while winning friends and hosts amongst the locals wherever she went.

Ruth and Scott were partners in life and work. Scott’s career was buoyed by Ruth’s steady hand, keen mind, and generous spirit. Whether in the offices of JTB or T. S. Berry Furniture, setting market showrooms, or hosting company gatherings, there was nothing to which Ruth could not turn her hand. Ruth was a respected businesswoman in her own right. Her purchase and restoration of the old First Columbus Bank Building on Main Street marked an early step in the revitalization of downtown Columbus. Ruth served on the Main Street Columbus Board of Directors from 2007-2009, 2014-2019, and served as President in 2008. Ruth also purchased and developed commercial property along Highway 82 West, investing there well before the area’s broader growth. Restoring, developing, and managing properties drew on Ruth’s natural gifts for hospitality and relationships.

Just as faithfully as she helped to build her community’s commercial life, Ruth also served its civic one, notably as a Life Member of the Junior Auxiliary of Columbus. Her proudest accomplishment in JA was being part of the team that dedicated themselves to Camp Rising Sun in its earliest years. For as long as she was able, Ruth was an active participant at camp every summer. Ruth and Scott were members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Over the years, Ruth sang in the choir, was a member of Daughters of the King, and served on the Vestry, the Altar Guild, and the Episcopal Church Women. She could always be relied upon to help make vats of homemade chicken salad for the Spring Luncheon, and she loved leading Vacation Bible School.

Ruth's definition of family extended well beyond those related to her by blood or marriage. With warmth, humor, and an open door, she transformed new faces into family, and her children grew up with an assortment of beloved “aunts” and “uncles.” They and Ruth’s grandchildren have been shaped by the love Ruth showed to all who crossed her path, and will be proud to carry her legacy forward

Ruth is preceded in death by her parents, her brother, George; her sister, Martha McGahey; her husband, Scott; and her beloved son, Taylor. She is survived by her sisters, Joyce Robustelli and Julia McCleve, as well as her daughters, Becky Scott (Clifton) and Julie Markle (Russell).

Most importantly, Yia Yia leaves behind six adored grandchildren: Nora Ruth, Alliene, Thomas, Tate, Johnston, and George. They will miss candy stockpiles, movie nights and spend-the-nights, grammar corrections, driving lessons, and endless peanut butter crackers. Ruth and her grandchildren showered one another with love and devotion, exchanging the gifts of youth and lived wisdom; her absence is felt, but her presence endures in them.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 11:00am at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Camp Rising Sun or Columbus Humane Society.