Ruth Naomi Howell Showalter, age 94, passed away Friday, March 27, 2009. She was born on September 17, 1914 at Roanoke, VA. She began teaching in Calvert County in 1946 and taught in the elementary schools at Broomes Island and Prince Frederick. She was widely know for having taught first grade for many years. She later became principal at Fairview Elementary School and also served as assistant principal Mt. Harmony Elementary and Mutual Elementary. She retired in 1980 after approximately 40 years of teaching.

Before coming to Calvert County she taught school in Martinsville, VA and Alexandria, VA. She also worked at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and at the Bureau of Statistics in Washington, DC. She graduated from Radford College and received a Master's Degree in Education from George Washington University. She was a member of Phi Delta Gamma and Pi Lambda Theta. She served as president of the Alpha Beta Chapter of Delta kappa Gamma.

She served as a volunteer and officer in various civic and church organizations. She was a member of the Belmont Christian Church in Roanoke, VA and Trinity United Methodist Church in Prince Frederick, MD. At Trinity she was a member of the Altar Guild, president of United Methodist Women, Sunday School teacher and superintendent. She served on the Methodist Board of Child Care. She contributed over 8,000 hours of volunteer service both to the Calvert Marine Museum and Calvert Memorial Hospital. She also worked as a volunteer at Jefferson Patterson Park. She was on the Board of Citizens for Maryland Libraries and on the Southern Maryland Library Board. She was president of the Board of Trustees for Calvert County Library and she was chairman of the Library Trustees Division of the Maryland Library Association. She also served as secretary of the League of Women Voters and president of the Calvert County Retired Teachers Association.

She, along with her husband, greatly enjoyed traveling throughout the world. Their travels took them to four continents and 90 countries. She and her husband also traveled with their children throughout the 48 continental United States and 11 of Provinces of Canada.

She is survived by her husband of sixty-seven years, Joseph W. Showalter of Port Republic; a son and daughter-in-law, David and Sally Showalter of Broomes Island; a daughter and Son-in-law Barbara and Danny Price of Kilmarnock, VA. She had seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren. She was predeceased by one great grandchild.

The family will receive friends on Monday March 30, 2008 at the Rausch Funeral Home, 4405 Broomes Island Road, Port Republic, MD from 2-4 and 6-8 P.M. Funeral Services will be held on Tuesday March 31, 2009, 1 P.M. at Trinity United Methodist Church, Prince Frederick, MD. Interment will be held on Wednesday April 1, 2009, 1 PM at Weaver Mennonite Church Cemetery, Harrisonburg, VA. (West 1.9 miles on US Rt 33 West from the intersection of US Rt 33 and VA Rt 42 in Harrisonburg, VA. Cemetery is on the right hand side of the road.) Memorial contributions may be made to Calvert Hospice, P.O. Box 838 Prince Frederick, MD 20678.

Arrangements provided by Rausch Funeral Home.