Ruth Ann Dunahay

Arkansas is the only State in the US that produces diamonds and Ruth Ann Dunahay was one of her home state’s rare and precious jewels. A beloved mother, grandmother, wife and true friend, Ruth Ann, passed away August 5, 2021.

Born in Black Rock, Arkansas on October 31, 1943 to Edwin and Mary Craig Baldridge, she was no stranger to hard work. Ruth Ann grew up on the farm where she and her siblings joined their parents chopping and picking cotton, driving the tractor, gathering eggs and tackling any other chores working that the earth demanded.  Being a farm girl shaped Ruth Ann’s life and established her strong work ethic which followed her throughout her life. Known for her magnetic personality, she also found time for fun as well as she attended elementary and secondary schools in Hoxie, AR. It is little wonder the faculty selected her Miss Hoxie High in 1961, the year she graduated.

Ruth Ann married the love of her life, Glenn Dunahay, on June 19, 1962, in Walnut Ridge and they settled in the Little Rock area a few years later. They made their first home in Jacksonville, finally settling in Maumelle. Ruth Ann soon found her true joy in the birth and mothering of their two children, Tracy, and Glenn II. Regardless of whatever else was happening in her life, Ruth Ann made time to always be there for her family, prioritizing them above all else. She will be remembered as a generous, kind, supportive mother and a doting Nana.

In addition to raising her family, Ruth Ann enjoyed a 45-year professional career in the insurance industry, retiring in 2012 as Vice President, Accounting Division for BancCorp South in Little Rock.  Retirement did not slow her down one bit. A servant at heart, Ruth Ann loved volunteering at Maumelle Center on the Lake where she helped cook and serve meals to senior citizens. She will be missed at Pine Forest Elementary School as well, where she worked regularly with children who needed extra reading support.

In her spare time, Ruth Ann loved to travel, especially to warm locations.  She and Glenn crisscrossed the United States, never hesitating to turn down roads that took them off the beaten path in search of adventure and seeing new places. When it came to repeat visits, Santa Fe, NM and Destin, FL were a few of her favorites.  After retirement, she and Glenn particularly enjoyed bypassing the cold winter months of Arkansas for the sun and sand of South Padre Island in Texas. There, the couple met and developed lasting friendships with other “snowbirds” who gathered there annually.

Ruth Ann was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Jay Baldridge, sister, Rosemary Baldridge Mitts, and son, Glenn Dunahay II.

She is survived by her husband, Glenn Dunahay of Maumelle, AR, and daughter Tracy Rath and her husband, Curtis, of Leesburg, Texas, as well as her brother Charles Baldridge of Minturn, AR. She is also survived by the crown jewels of her life – the beautiful grandchildren she adored and happily spoiled whenever she found the opportunity -- granddaughter Taryn Rath Peacock and husband, Brian, of McKinney, TX, and grandson Trenton Rath and wife, Ashley, of Plano, TX.

Ruth Ann was a kind and loving friend, tough as nails, and adored by everyone who crossed her path. A fighter, she battled and beat breast cancer twice in the past 30 years before being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in June 2020. As she battled this disease, she was particularly grateful for the doctors and staff at CARTI who helped her along the way. It is important to Ruth Ann to acknowledge their care.

Ruth Ann and Glen would like to thank their Windsong family and friends for all their support, love and prayers during her long and courageous fight with cancer.

To share a memory of Ruth Ann or send a condolence to her family, please visit www.smithfamilycares.com.

Services will be Tuesday, August 10 at 11:00 a.m. at Windsong Church of Christ. Visitation will precede the service beginning at 10:00. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either Windsong Church of Christ, #3 Windsong Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72113 or Salvation Army Center of Hope Shelter at 1111 West Markham, Little Rock, AR 72201.