Ruth Lee Pruitt

Mrs. Ruth Lee “Ruthie” Mayes Pruitt, mother, nana, sister, aunt, and friend, passed away on February 15, 2018, in the loving hands of McCall Hospice House. Ruth loved people and they loved her as well. She worked in retail for many years and loved the fashion industry. She was the first African American buyer for Belk-Simpson Department Store.

She was born in Greenville, South Carolina, on September 16, 1943, to the late Clifton Mayes and Addie Lee Seaborn Mayes. She was a graduate of Sterling High School, where she was an excellent student. She was accepted into Wayne University, but chose to attend Cosmetology School, where she excelled and received her license. She worked in this profession for a number of years before starting her career in retail. She worked for Belk-Simpson, F.W. Woolworth Distribution Center and Macy’s Department Store, where she remained employed until her illness. She joined the Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church as a child and continued her service there as a Trustee until her death.

She was married to the late Erskine Pruitt for forty-nine years. She is survived by her daughter, Valerie Pruitt (Guna) Diggs of Greensboro, NC; two granddaughters, Keandra Sherneal Diggs and Maleah Shawntel Diggs, both of Greensboro, NC; one sister, Patricia Mayes Anderson of Greenville; nieces and nephews, whom she loved as her own, Derrick (Kristen) Anderson, Ricky (Laura) Anderson, Ronald (Michelle) Anderson, Lynn (Dennis) Shumpert; and a host of other nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends, who will truly miss her.