Betty Ruth Folsom Pierce, 89, passed away peacefully Monday December 4th, 2023, at Spanish Oaks Retreat in Savannah, Ga.

 Ruth was born in Nashville Georgia in 1934 and was one of four children of Dr. William Folsom and Lilla Folsom.

 Ruth attended school in Nashville from primary through high school at Berrien County Schools.  She spent her younger years watching the tobacco trucks roll through town with her girlfriends and spent a lot of time at her father’s dental office and drug store on the Nashville Town Square.

 Ruth went on to Georgia Teachers College which is now Georgia Southern University in 1952 where she met her husband of 63 years Fred Pierce, who preceded her in death in 2018.

 Ruth and Fred, moved to Conyers Georgia after graduating as Fred was a high school football coach.  Ruth and Fred then moved to Washington DC while Fred was in the Army and Ruth gave birth to their daughter Cyndi in 1957.  Ruth, Fred, and Cyndi moved to Savannah in 1960 where Ruth worked as a teacher at Isle of Hope Elementary School.  They called Isle of Hope and Dutch Island their home for more than 50 years and were long time members of Isle of Hope Baptist Church and very active in the Isle of Hope community.

 In 1967 Ruth gave birth to their son Scott, and 1974 Ruth went back to teaching at Savannah Christian Preparatory School. She spent 12 years as an elementary teacher at the main campus and then the Isle of Hope satellite campus before retiring in 1986.

 Ruth was an avid golfer with Fred and her friends and was a longtime member of the Savannah Golf Club.  She won many women’s golf tournaments with her golf group over the years.  Believe it or not, Ruth was also an avid fisherman and loved living on the water in Savannah.  Ruth spent many days fishing, crabbing, and shrimping, and if the sun was out in the summer, Ruth was most likely on the dock!

 Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, her three brothers, William, Albert, and Fred, as well as her husband Fred.  She leaves behind her daughter Cyndi and son Scott (Amy), seven grandchildren, Pierce, Hayley, Hayden, Grace, Jack, Daniel, and Gabriel, and three great grandchildren, Aniston, Bennet, and Hudson.

 Visitation will be held Friday, December 8, 2023, at 12 noon at Fox and Weeks Funeral Home at 7200 Hodgson Memorial Drive in Savannah, followed by funeral services at 1pm in the chapel. 

 The Pierce family would like to thank the wonderful staff of Spanish Oaks Retreat for helping to care for Ruth for the past few years.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Alzheimer's Association: https://www.alz.org/?form=alz_donate.