Ruth Davida (Cunningham) Simms

Ruth Davida (Cunningham) Simms, 99, of rural Bridgeport, left this earth for her heavenly home, Sunday, January 22, 2023.

Ruth was born on the family farm, September 15, 1923, in Lukin Township, Lawrence County, Illinois, the daughter of Roscoe and Bessie (Cooper) Cunningham. In 1961, she married Robert Floyd Simms at the Sumner Congregational Christian Church, where she was a lifelong member. After 37 years of marriage, Robert died much too early in 1998 and left Aunt Ruth widowed for 25 years.

She was preceded in death by her Mother and Father; her husband, Robert; and all of her siblings. Her family preceding her in death included: Mary Ellen Cunningham; Samuel and Martha Brookhart; Roscoe and Katheryn Cunningham; Cooper and Eileen Cunningham; and most recently her niece, Carol Ann Eubank. 

Although Robert and Ruth never had children, they thoroughly enjoyed being called Aunt Ruth and Uncle Bob by all their nieces and nephews. They spent a lot of their time together in their wood working shop making all kinds of furniture and toys, including cradles and famous push toy ducks. They also built goat wagons and furniture for their home. For several years they built and perfected racing cars for their nieces and nephews to drive in the Civitan Wheel Derby Race, helping all their driver’s become trophy winners. Aunt Ruth also gave some of her nieces and nephews driving lessons.

Aunt Ruth read her well-worn Bible regularly and studied getting to heaven her whole life. Aunt Ruth was fun and made lots of Jiffy Pop Popcorn. She also enjoyed flowers, feeding the fish in the pond, keeping up on current events, and cheering for her family. She was an Eastern Star 50-year member. Aunt Ruth was a farmer at heart and she loved watching crops and gardens grow. She liked to check her fields and also watch what the neighbors were doing.

She grew up in Sumner. She and her twin brother, Roscoe, were 1941 graduates of Sumner High School and always very close. In her younger days, she worked with her family at the Cunningham Feed Store and even drove truck and hauled feed and grain. As a young woman she also had a car buying business. During WWII she did factory work. As a postal clerk at the Sumner Post Office from 1956 until her retirement in 1981, she enjoyed meeting and helping the public.

Survivors include Nieces and Nephews: Jenny Pargin, Cinda Bell, R.D. Cunningham, Jan Cunningham Sauvigne, Jonathon Cunningham, Michael Cunningham, Lorie Cunningham, Charlene Abel, Ann Linenfelser, Jeff Newell, Stephen Newell, and Carla Schmidt.

With the help of her very special caregivers: Theresa Greene, Dee Joines, Hannah Orr, Melissa Sechrest, Brenda Shelton, Teresa Spencer, and Rosie Sires, Aunt Ruth was able to spend her last months in her home where she longed to be.

Funeral services will be conducted on Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. CST at the Sivert-Macey & Steffey Funeral Home in Sumner, Illinois. Visitation will be on Sunday from 1:00 p.m. until the service hour of      2:00 p.m. CST at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Sumner Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to Fish & Loaves.

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