Ruth Ann Cleveland

(November 1949 – October 2008)

     You can make a tax deductible donation to the Ruth Ann Cleveland Memorial Developing Nations Scholarship Fund by sending your donation to

     Ruth Ann Cleveland Memorial Developing Nations Scholarship Fund
     LifeNets
     3707 Turfway Court
     Indianapolis, IN 46228.

You can also donate via Visa/MC/Discover

Ruth Ann was a wife, mother, and grandmother.  She was a woman of Faith.  Raised in Illinois, she later lived in Ohio, and spent the last 28 years of her life in Texas.

     She was a homemaker who raised a daughter and helped with raising three (3) wonderful grandchildren.  One of her greatest joys and proudest accomplishments was that she taught her grandchildren to read and write before they attended kindergarten.  When they visited her in the summer, she always conducted “school” each morning before they had an adventure in the afternoon.

     Ruth Ann was a tremendous example of a Christian woman.  Her greatest joy was to serve God and His people.  She faithfully attended church services each week, and was active in teaching the young people God’s way of life.  She would diligently prepare her lessons to be sure that her message was Biblically accurate. She worked hard to present it in a way that her audience would understand the concepts and be able to apply it to their lives.  .

     Education was one of her passions.  As a young girl, she wanted to be a High School English Teacher.  In her lifetime, she attended five (5) institutions of higher education, completing three (3) years of college.  She firmly believed that a good education was one of the main keys to a productive and successful life.

     In May of 2005 Ruth Ann was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer.  Her doctors indicated that they could prescribe various treatments that could slow the growth of the cancer; however, they never offered any hope of a cure.  Ruth Ann accepted this diagnosis and faced it as she faced life--with grit and determination.  She did not let her condition stand in the way of her enjoyment of life.  In her last days, she spent a lot of her time writing to and encouraging others with serious medical illness or other problems.  She always thought of others before herself.  She was kind, generous, and caring

     Her family is pleased to work with LifeNets to establish The Ruth Ann Cleveland Memorial Scholarship Fund to help people in Developing Nations pursue their dream of a college degree.