WILD (Napier), Ruth
91, of Kettering, Ohio, died Thursday, April 22, 2021, after a short illness.
She was born Feb. 13, 1930, in Ceredo, West Virginia, daughter of the late William K. Napier, Sr. and Ethel Mae Walker Napier. She was the seventh of eight children. No siblings
survive.
She attended public schools in Ceredo and Kenova, West Virginia, and graduated from Marshall College (now University) with an AB Degree in journalism. She was women's page editor of The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington, West Virginia, and married a fellow journalist, William H. Wild, on June 14, 1958. They resided in Ceredo and had two sons born in
Huntington, Alan K. Wild and Thomas W. Wild. They and four grandchildren survive.
She received her teacher's certificate from Marshall in 1964 and taught at Ceredo Elementary School until the family moved to Dayton, Ohio, in 1969 when her husband joined the staff of The Journal Herald, then the morning paper in
Dayton. She taught second and third grades in Kettering
elementary schools until her retirement in 1990.
The family resided in Oakwood for 46 years and were members of Shroyer Road Baptist Church. She was an avid reader, a crossword puzzle fan and played bridge and other card games. She was a longtime member and past president of the College Women's Club. She enjoyed travel, golf and flower-gardening.
In 2016, she and her husband moved to the One Lincoln Park retirement home in Kettering.
Her body was donated to the Wright State School of Medicine. A memorial service will be held later at the family's convenience.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations go to Shroyer Road Baptist Church, 508 Shroyer Road, Dayton, OH 45419.
WILD, Ruth
