Ruth Bernard Hart Hedgepeth, 85, passed away on January 3, 2017. Ruth was born in La Grange, NC on March 14, 1931 and was one of eight children of the late Mary Louvenia Aycock Hart and William Gardner Hart.

Ruth married the late Rupert Lee Hedgepeth on August 18, 1949, moved to Northern Virginia and was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, friend and neighbor. She loved to cook, bake, crochet, help others and collect anything with angels. Ruth is survived by her three children Patricia Wright and partner Jack Wilson of Amelia Island, FL; David Hedgepeth of Roanoke Rapids, NC; and Mary Simpkins and her husband Ken of Springfield, VA; five grandchildren, Crystal (Jon), Brandon (Lela), Ashley, Josh and Kyle; and six great-grandchildren, Jeffrey, Kaitie, Levi, Kadyn, Rayne and Jack. She is also survived by her siblings Reba Blanton (Jack) and Grace Grant along with numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Rupert Lee Hedgepeth, her son-in-law, Thomas Wright, and her siblings Emma Alphin, William Hart, Henry Hart, Shelton Hart and Dorothy Phillips.

Ruth and Rupert moved back to Halifax, NC in August 2010 where they spent their final years with family and friends. The family would like to express their gratitude to Margaret Lassiter, Mary Mason and Hazel Whitley for their loving care for Ruth and her family during this time.

Askew Funeral & Cremation Services in Roanoke Rapids is handling the arrangements where the family will receive friends from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m., Thursday, January 5, 2017. Funeral services will be held Friday, January 6, 2017 at 12:00 noon at Community Center Baptist Church in Halifax, NC, where she was a member. Dr. W. Jim Whitehead will be officiating. Interment will follow in the Hedgepeth Family Cemetery, next to the church.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to go to: Community Center Baptist Church, 2360 Ridgecrest Road, Halifax, NC 27839 or Johns Hopkins University for the benefit of epilepsy research as Ruth and one of her granddaughters have both struggled with epilepsy. Donations can be made through their site at: https://secure.jhu.edu/form/neuro - please designate “epilepsy” and you can also specify that the donation is in memory of Ruth Hedgepeth. Checks can also be made out to “Johns Hopkins University” with the name of the honoree and the designation (epilepsy research) on the memo line and mailed to: Kristin Ruth, c/o Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Neurology, 550 North Broadway, Suite 731, Baltimore, MD 21205 or you can call (443) 287-7877.