Rubye Myrtle (Lyles) Gepperth

Rubye L. Gepperth went to Heaven on Friday, March 19, 2021.  She had just celebrated her 100th birthday on January 31, 2021, with a drive-by celebration of over 100+ cars and even members of the Newnan Police Department driving by to pay tribute for her birthday.

Mrs. Gepperth was the seventh of eight children born to a cotton farming family in Calhoun, GA.  She is preceded by her husband, all her siblings, parents, and many other family members and friends.  What a grand reunion they must have had when Rubye entered the gates of Heaven.  Rubye met her husband Carl A. Gepperth during WWII while working in Atlanta.  They were married 74 years at the time Mr. Gepperth passed away this year on January 5, 2021.  They would have celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary on May 10, 2021.  They were very blessed and lived a long Christian life together, to which they credit God for always being at the center of their marriage.  After graduation from high school, her family moved to Bremen, GA, where she worked at Hubbard’s Pants Factory for 2 years to save money to pay for Greenleaf Business College in Atlanta.  Each day she caught the Greyhound Bus from Bremen to Atlanta for school, and then returned.  She was often timed typing 84 words per minute on a “manual” typewriter at college.  Rubye majored in Secretarial Science and was recognized as an outstanding secretary for Southern Life Insurance Company, Railway Express, Georgia Tech and the U.S. Government.  While employed as a civilian at Ft. McPherson, she was secretary for the Adjutant General.  In this position, she held Top Secret Clearance, and was challenged to type the Viet Nam My Lai Incident.  She had many talents including quilting, painting, cooking, flower arranging, volunteering at hospitals, teaching church young-couples Sunday School, sign language, Prayer Group for Fellowship of Christian Airline Personnel, and growing beautiful roses.  She promised God that if He provided the roses, she would give them to the sick, elderly, grieving and any other person in need, or any occasion at church.  Rubye often volunteered at church and committed herself to serve the Lord in any capacity He called her to serve.  She loved her church, Heatherwood Baptist Church in Newnan, and was loved by so many of the members.  She and her husband attended a church class on “How to Improve Your Marriage” at 92 years of age.  Although the class was meant for young couples, she and her husband ended up contributing so much to the class because of all their experiences, and the young couples really enjoyed their participation.  She was also considered the very best mother and grandmother in the world by her 2 daughters, her granddaughter, and great grandchildren.  At age 62, she noticed a deaf couple in front of the church and immediately felt sorry for them because they had no one to communicate with after the service.  So, she initially taught herself minor phrases of sign language and subsequently ended up honing her sign language skills at Atlanta Technical College.  Until their death about 10 years later, Rubye served as their interpreter at church and any other appointments they had.  Up until age 90, she volunteered a total of 18 years (over 6,000 hours) between South Fulton Hospital in the ICU Waiting Room, and Newnan Piedmont Hospital in the Surgery Waiting Room.  She brought comfort to so many family members and friends who were nervously sitting in those waiting rooms.  

She is survived by 2 daughters, Jean Jones (George), Lisa Webb (Rickey – deceased), granddaughter Jackie Courter (Mike), and 2 great grandchildren, Matthew, and Olivia Courter. 

The family will have a private funeral service on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 in Hillcrest Chapel.  Private interment will follow in College Park Cemetery.  The funeral service will be livestreamed at 11:00 a.m. and can be viewed by clicking the link in her obituary on our website at www.hillcrestchapelcares.com

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Gideons, Post Office Box 626, Sharpsburg, Georgia 30277 to dedicate Bibles in memory Rubye L. Gepperth.

Higgins Funeral Home Hillcrest Chapel is honored to serve the family of Rubye Gepperth, please visit www.hillcrestchapelcare.com to share your memories or leave a condolence message.

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