On Mother’s Day, Ruth Weeks was given a special Mother’s Day Surprise. She was chosen as “Mother of the Year” by her Centerville Missionary Baptist Church family. Weeks was presented with a plaque at a special service in her honor. She is the fifth of 14 children, born to the Rev. Arthur Gerald and Gertrude Johnson Gerald. Throughout her childhood, she and her siblings assisted their father with the family trade.
From an early age, Ruth learned how to farm, raise crops and cultivate the land, which she continues to enjoy to this day. As a child, Weeks joined Centerville Missionary Baptist Church, where she accepted Christ. She received her early education in the county school system and said that one of her favorite activities during her youth was playing basketball. As a center for the Marion County Training High School girl’s team, she helped lead her team to many wins.
Upon graduation, Weeks earned her bachelor’s of science degree in elementary education from Morris College, Sumter. There, she met Freddie Weeks, whom she married. He is her husband of 52 years. The couple had two children, Fredrick Weeks and Patricia Weeks (deceased). Her grandchildren are Aisha Weeks and Tremonisha Miller, whom she helped raise after the death of their mother in 1997. She has one great-grandson, Mekael Pile.
Weeks retired from the New York City Bureau of Child Welfare after 20 plus years as a Child Welfare and Family Counselor. In 2001, she relocated to her childhood home, and after relocating to Marion, she became a primary caregiver of her aging mother.
Once she returned home, Weeks was reunited with her home church. She enjoys filling her days with attending church services, listening to Gospel music and gardening.
Also recognized during the 2008 Mother Day service were MaeCeal Williams, Mother of the church; Annie Belle Williams and Evelyn D. Pee. All three were recognized for more than 60 years of dedicated service to the church.
“These four ladies serve as a living shining example for everyone in the church, men and women alike,” the Rev. William Norman Pee, pastor of Centerville Missionary Baptist Church, said.
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