Mary Ruth Shutters, 86, died Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Greenville, SC.
Born in Woodstock, VA, Mary Ruth was the daughter of the late Irving and Eula Swartz. She attended Radford University, where she met her husband Samuel “Dick” Shutters, who attended Virginia Tech. Mary Ruth worked as a physical education and science teacher and lived most of her life in Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley where she was born, Northern Virginia, where she and her husband settled after marriage, and Christiansburg in Southwestern Virginia, where they raised their children. As a science teacher, Mary Ruth was fascinated by all aspects of nature, from the stars in the sky to the rocks on the ground. She enjoyed reading, working any sort of puzzle, and playing games, which she always played to win.
She is survived by son Mark (Carolyn) Shutters; daughter Lynn Shutters (Leif Sorensen); and sister Anna Mae (Howard) Ortgies; as well as two nephews, Henrik Nissen and Wade Ortgies, and two nieces, Heather Menduke and Anne Nissen.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Samuel Shutters.
A public memorial service will be held Saturday, Jan. 10, at 1 p.m. at Mount Zion Lutheran Church, 3055 Fairview Road, Woodstock, VA.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Lutheran World Relief, https://lwr.org or Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley, https://shenandoahalliance.org.
Favorite memories and condolences may be shared with the family by visiting www.thomasmcafee.com