Obituary of Ruth Persson

Ruth Evalyn Burbage Persson, retired Child Welfare administrator, died October 12, 2007 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. She was born August 31, 1922 to Charles A. and Stella Jordan Burbage in Colcord, Delaware County, Oklahoma. She was a graduate of Tahlequah High School, Northeastern State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and obtained her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Oklahoma. Her career began in 1947 with the Oklahoma State Department of Public Welfare. She served in various positions in Cherokee, Wagoner, and Tulsa Counties. She directed the Children's Protective Services Program in Tulsa County and was involved in developing the Central Child Abuse Registry, the first program of its kind in Oklahoma. Ruth was responsible for initiating the first two group homes in Tulsa for adolescents, and was instrumental in organizing the Tulsa County Foster Parents Association, one of the first in U.S. in 1971. An alumna of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, she remained active within the group, which honored her in 1989 with the Emily Gates Achievement Award at its national convention. She also won the Golden Violet Award for 50 years of service in 1990. As a member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Tulsa, she delivered Meals on Wheels for 13 years and served in the Altar Guild. She remained involved in the NSU Alumni Association and served a three year term on its board of directors and in 1994, she received the Citation of Merit Award. Ruth relocated to Memphis in 2003 where she resided at Carriage Court Assisted Living until may of 2007 when she returned to Tahlequah, Oklahoma. She was preceded in death by her husband Frank Persson and her son-in-law, William Clanton. She is survived by her son, Charles Wilson, his wife Kim and their sons, Chase and Trent, and by her daughter Sharon Wilson Clanton and her son David Levy, nieces Billye Akin, Mary Townsend, Anne Vermote, Mary Ruth Thomas and her nephews, John Burbage and Craig Burbage, sister-in-laws Helen Burbage and Katherine Burbage. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 20, at 10:30 a.m. at First United Methodist Church in Tahlequah where she was a member when she resided there.