Dorothy Ruth Burton Wheeler was born on October 16, 1919 to the parentage of the later Anderson, Sr. and Inez Burton. “Ruth”, as she was affectionally known, was the third of ten children born to “Papa” and “Mama”.

At an early age, she joined Bethlehem Baptist Church. She was a graduate of West Point Colored High School. After graduation, Ruth moved to Montgomery, AL, where she met Charlie, the love of her life. Charlie and Ruth relocated to Washington, D.C., and they became the parents of Bessie, Felix, Romaine, Laurissa, and Jerry. These siblings joined an older brother, Charles.

She had a love for fishing and would join her son in New York on fishing trips. Ruth was retired from George Washington Hospital in Washington, D.C.

In her later years, she, along with Charles and his family, moved back to West Point, where she departed her life on November 4, 2016.

In addition to her parents and husband, Ruth was preceded in death by her children, Bessie, Dorothy Romaine, and Laurissa Wheeler. Her siblings, Tom Burton, Anderson Burton, Jr., Milton Burton, and Juanita Burton Zeigler.

 

She leaves to cherish her memories: Charles (Ann) Burton, West Point, GA; Felix Wheeler, Rocky Mount, N.C.; Jerry Wheeler, Washington, D.C., grandchildren, great-grandchildren¸ great-great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and a host of other relatives and friends.