Mildred "Ruth" (Fishburn) Stearsman

Mildred Ruth Stearsman, 90, of Rochester, Kentucky, passed away on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Ruth was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, recognized for her kindness, steadfast faith, and her gift for making everyone at her table feel welcome.  Ruth was born on December 23, 1935, in Butler County, Kentucky, to Laura Belle Phelps Fishburn and Fletcher Clifford Fishburn. She was the older sister of Charles Clifford Fishburn and spent most of her life in Butler County, where she lived, worked, and created a life centered on family, faith, and service to others.  Throughout her life, Ruth worked in various roles before retiring from her favorite position with the Butler County Public School System.  She was a woman of remarkable practical skill and care, known especially for her excellent cooking and for the ability and devotion she brought to making clothes for her family. She possessed a talent for seeing what needed to be done and doing it well, always with generosity and love.  Ruth also enjoyed a full and meaningful life outside of her work. She traveled to all forty-eight mainland states with her husband, Donald Jackson Stearsman, and later enjoyed traveling with her daughters, Donna Stearsman Rackley and Angela Denise Thomason. In retirement, she enjoyed spending time with her family, playing puzzle games, and attending church. She was a member of Union Chapel General Baptist Church. She especially loved Christmas and was known for celebrating the season with heart, beauty, and great cheer.

Ruth is survived by her husband of sixty-nine years and four months, Donald Jackson Stearsman; her daughters, Donna Stearsman Rackley (Philip) and Angela Denise Thomason (Leon); her grandchildren, Jonathan Weightman, Laura Rackley, Jarrod Weightman, Christopher Rackley (Nikki), and Hunter Corbitt (Madison); and her nephew, Timothy Fishburn (Amanda). She was preceded in death by her parents, Laura Belle Phelps Fishburn and Fletcher Clifford Fishburn, and her brother, Charles Clifford Fishburn.

Visitation will be held at Smith Funeral Home in Morgantown, Kentucky, on Sunday, April 26, beginning at 5pm until 8pm. The following day, Monday, April 27, a visitation and funeral service will be held at Smith Funeral Home. The visitation will be between 10am and 1pm, with the funeral to follow. After the service is held, she will be interred at Pleasant Hill Cemetery.  Her family will remember her deep kindness, steady strength, and the love she gave so freely.

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