Doris "Ruth" Patton

Doris “Ruth” Patton, age 78, of Saranac, formerly of Lowell and Belding, passed away on March 11, 2026, under hospice care at Golden Life Assisted Living Center in Greenville. Born in Melrose Park, Illinois, on February 2, 1948, she was the daughter of Henry John and Reba June (Wilson) Pohl, both of whom preceded her in death. Educated in Illinois schools, Ruth spent much of her working life as a waitress. She married Gerald S. Patton in Lowell on December 31, 1992; he passed away on June 27, 2021.

Ruth was well known in the Lowell area for the warm and attentive service she provided to customers at Kaiser’s Restaurant, where she worked for more than twenty years. In her free time she enjoyed reading and looked forward to attending Masonic Lodge events and other gatherings with her husband, Jerry. A person of quiet faith, she was a longtime member of Saranac Community Church and later Family Life Center Church of God.

She is survived by her children, Laura Merritt, Michael Merritt, and Sheila (Greg Warning) Merritt, all of Saranac; grandchildren Justice (Melissa) Burkhart of Glendale, Arizona, Lillian (Michael Rossman) Warning, Hunter (Averi Lamp) Warning, and Sawyer (Madelyn Silverthorn) Warning, all of Saranac; great-grandchildren Scout, Cooper, Adelie, Waylon, and Anastasia; stepchildren Randall (Kari) Patton of Alto, Edmond C. (Valerie) Patton of Colorado, and Bryan (Karin) Patton of Switzerland; step-grandchildren Rebecca, Kaylin, Elijah, and Caelan Patton; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.