Ruth Doris McAllister Trainer, mother of Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) Executive Vice President Ann Spicer, died July 6, 2021, at her home in Waverly, OH, where she resided since 1972.
Born January 6, 1927, to H.D. “Babe” McAllister and Ivy Goldie Merritt in Pike County, she attended Piketon High School and Wilmington College. Ruth married Robert H. “Bob” Trainer on August 5, 1950.
An elementary school teacher, Ruth taught third grade at Waverly East for over 30 years. Family vacations always included tours of factories (for example, Kellogg’s, Hershey, and Fenton Glass) or historical spots where she gathered information to develop new educational units for her third graders. In retirement, she continued to use her teaching talents as she led the Beatitudes Sunday School Class at Waverly First Baptist Church, where she and Bob were founding members. Even as she became bedridden, she continued to write short stories (a story about May Day was published in The Columbus Dispatch and another won an award from the Chillicothe Gazette) and poetry. Just last week, she completed a poem about her 94th birthday celebration.
Ruth was preceded in death by her parents Babe and Goldie; husband Bob; sisters Nettie McAllister and Mary Radford; sister-in-law Ruth McAllister; brother-in-law Dick Radford; and nephew James McAllister. She is survived by her brother Earl McAllister (who lunched with her every Sunday); daughter Ann Trainer Spicer (Don); grandchildren Justin and Jackie Spicer; and much beloved great grandchildren Ava and Landon Spicer (who brought her much joy); niece Mary Ruth Leslie (Gary); and nephews John Radford (Katie) and Jack Trainer (Valerie).
Graveside services will be held for immediate family on Sunday, July 11, 2021, at the Evergreen Union Cemetery in Waverly. Arrangements are under the direction of the Botkin Hornback Funeral Home in Waverly.
The family thanks Ruth’s dedicated caregivers who made it possible for her to spend her last years in the home she loved.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Pike Heritage Museum, 110 S. Market Waverly, OH 45690; the Waverly First Baptist Church, 303 E. Third St. Waverly, OH 45690; or the OAFP Foundation, 4075 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43214.