Ethel Ruth Dubose Wallace was born to the late Willie and Lannie Hunter in Winston-Salem, NC, on March 20, 1944.

Ethel Ruth was educated in the public schools of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County and graduated from A.H. Anderson High School in the class of 1963.  Following graduation, she attended Winston-Salem State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Education.

She began a teaching career that led her to Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Detroit, MI. Ethel Ruth was a dedicated educator and she retired after more than 30 years of service in the teaching profession.

Christian education began at a very young age for Ethel Ruth. She joined Mount Zion Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC and was baptized under the pastorate of the late Dr. K. O. P. Goodwin. She continued her Christian fellowship as a member of Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit, MI.

After retirement, Ethel Ruth took on the role of caregiver to an ailing aunt, which led to a move to Martinsville, VA. She was very active in the Martinsville community and her dedication to teaching led her to volunteering and substitute teaching for the Henry County School System. She was a member of the Red Hat Society and she reigned as Mrs. NAACP in Martinsville from 2011-2012. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Fayette Street Historical Museum. And she was a Sunday school teacher for the adult class at Full Gospel Holiness Church.

Ethel Ruth answered the call from labor to reward at Kindred Hospital in Greensboro, NC on Monday, November 19, 2012.

She was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Willie Dubose; a sister-in-law, Cynthia Dubose and her aunt, Leeann Stevenson.

Those family members who will forever cherish Ethel Ruth’s memory include: James Wallace; her brother, Johnny Dubose; nieces, Carla (Keith) Eachrim; nephews, Ahmed Dubose and Hassan Dubose; a sister-cousin, Rebecca M. Jackson; several god-children, nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.

A service in her memory will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, December 8, 2012 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC. The family will greet friends from 10:30 AM until 11:00 AM at the church.