Ruth Phyllis Burness

Ruth Covell BURNESS Our beloved, wise mother and grandmother died peacefully on Dec. 28, 2013, at Rose Arbor Residence at the age of 97. She was born on Sept. 26, 1916, in Marathon, NY to the late Albert & Ruth Covell. She graduated from Oneida (NY) High School, from Denison University (OH) with a BA and from Syracuse (NY) University with an MA in Social Work. In May 1943 she married Carl Gilbert Burness, who died in Feb. 1979. She moved to Kalamazoo from Florida in 2004 to be close to family. Ruth was a social worker. She was employed as Adult Program Director for the Ridgewood (NJ) YWCA, Admissions Counselor for Thomas House Retirement Community in Washington (DC), in addition to other positions throughout her life. Throughout her life she lived in many places in the world and was active in each community until the last several years when she became too limited by arthritis and poor hearing. Surviving are daughter, Barbara Burness Kyvig of Akron, OH; son, Stephen William (Diane Schrock) Burness of Kalamazoo; three adored granddaughters, Jennifer Kyvig (Eric) Kasper of Short Hills, NJ, Elizabeth Jessen Kyvig of Annandale, VA and Amanda Burness (Gerald) Dowd of Chicago, IL; five special great-grandchildren, Evan Yin, Noah & Grace Kasper, and Joe & Truman Dowd; former daughter-in-law, Patricia Huston of Kalamazoo; two sisters, Marian Lapham of Manlius, NY and Janet Yeckley of Charlotte, NC and sister-in-law, Patricia Covell of Manlius, NY. Also preceding her in death were daughter Janet Elaine Burness in 2004; granddaughter Megan Burness Yin in 2008, twin great-granddaughters Nora & Charlotte Dowd in 2007; brother James Covell in 2006; and companion Dayton Hull in 2003. Special thanks to the staffs at Upjohn Community Care Center and Rose Arbor Hospice Residence for their loving care of Mom these past nine months. A Celebration of her Life will be held on Sunday, Jan 5, 2014, at 2:00pm at The Fountains at Bronson Place, 1700 Bronson Way, Kalamazoo, the Rev. Jill Terwilliger officiating. Instead of flowers, please consider doing a kind deed in Mom's memory. If you desire, you can make memorial contributions to Calvary Baptist Church, 755 8th St, NW, Washington, DC 20001, to Upjohn Community Care Center, 2400 Portage St., Kalamazoo, OH 49001 or to the charity of your choice.