LANCASTER, SC:::::Mrs. Ruth Phillips Sowell, beloved mother, grandmother, sister and aunt passed away at home Sunday, June 4, 2017. She was born April 4, 1929 in Lancaster, a daughter of the late John Clyde Phillips and Corree Hunter Phillips and was the wife of the late Ralph Sowell. Ruth lived her life with kindness and grace, and with a deep love for family, friends, and church. Ruth was a member of Antioch Baptist Church and taught the 8-9 year old childrens Sunday School class for over thirty years. She retired from Springs Mills-Lancaster Plant after 45 years of working as a weaver. Ruth enjoyed gardening and spending time outside. She also loved making crafts and floral arrangements. She enjoyed spending her summer vacations at Springmaid Beach with her family, spending a lot of time out on the pier with her husband Ralph as he fished. In her later years, she enjoyed sitting in her recliner by the sliding glass window where she could enjoy her flowers and the hummingbirds that came to her feeders. She loved visits from her friends and family who could never leave without a hug!
Mrs. Sowell is survived by a daughter, Beverly Montgomery and her husband, Jim of Charlotte; two grandchildren, Zachery Montgomery and Anna Montgomery; four sisters, Catherine Hudson, Jeanette Hunter, Joanne Hunter and her husband, Buddy all of Lancaster and Yvonne Bragg and her husband, Clint of Gastonia; and three sisters-in-law, Elsie Phillips of Lancaster, Edith Phillips of San Antonio, TX and Nell Phillips of Clovis, NM.
Mrs. Sowell is preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Ralph; four brothers, Talmadge Phillips, Ralph Phillips, John Clyde Phillips and Wilson Phillips, and a sister, Dallas Faulkenberry.
The Celebration of Life Funeral Service for Mrs. Sowell will be 11:00 am, Wednesday, June7, 2017 at Antioch Baptist Church by Rev. Trent McLaughlin and Rev. Chris Blackmon. Burial will follow at Lancaster Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends from 6:00 - 8:00 pm Tuesday evening, June 6, 2017 at Burgess Funeral Home and suggest memorial contributions be made to Antioch Baptist Church, 3052 Taxahaw Road, Lancaster, SC 29720.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the wonderful and loving caregivers who stayed with Ruth during the last few years and were truly her angels: Sandra Whitaker, Paulette Ellis, Susan Hair, Laverne Simpson and Barbara Faulkenberry.