Mrs. Ruth leola Walston

Ruth Leola Walston, 94, passed away on Wednesday, November 12, 2025.

Graveside service will be at 2:30pm on Sunday, November 16, 2025, at Rocky Mount Memorial Park officiated by Rev. Melissa Acres.

Ruth Leola Walston was born on August 25, 1931, in Las Cruses, New Mexico to Algie Crocker and Heppie Leola Crocker. Over the years her father was a minister at several churches and her mother taught piano. Both of her parents greatly influenced her Christian Life.

Leola attended three years of high school in Richlands, VA and later graduated after her senior year of Elizabeth City High School. She attended Lynchburg College, obtained a BS degree from Atlantic Christian College and later a master’s degree from East Carolina University. During her 28 years in her education career, she taught children with special needs and later was coordinator of special needs for all 18 Nash County Schools.

In 1949 Leola married Kenneth Dawson and they had one daughter, Sandra. Tragically she died in a car accident while away at her first year of college. Kenneth passed away in 1977 and in 1981 she married Wilbur Ray Walston of the St. Lewis Community.

While living in St. Lewis she operated a store in Pinetops, attended Macclesfield Christian Church and played the piano there for 30 years. She always had a garden each spring, made many of her clothes and maintained a big yard of flowers and fruit trees. She did everything well, including how she lived her life.

In 1986, she retired from the Nash County Schools to come “home” to take care of her husband Wilbur Ray, who had a bad stroke. She took care of him until his death in 2012. After that she remained in her home until 2023 when she moved to an Assisted Living Facility.

She is survived by a niece, nephews, her church family and the good friends of her community.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Macclesfield First Christian Church, P.O. Box 41, Macclesfield, NC 27852.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ruth “Leola” (Crocker) Walston, please visit our floral store.