Anna Ruth Gruver, 87,
of Crescent City, California, went home to be with her Lord on December 1,
2025. Born on October 3, 1938, in Tacoma, Washington, to George William and
Verna May (Whitney) Harrison, Anna lived a life marked by faith, devotion, and
love for her family.
On July 23,
1955, Anna married the love of her life, Frank Gruver, just a few months shy of
her seventeenth birthday. Their marriage, built on deep faith and partnership,
lasted 52 years until Frank’s passing in 2007. Together, they raised three children—Debra
Langworthy, Corrine Thogmartin, and Daryl Gruver—and faithfully served in
ministry, pastoring Southern Baptist churches across California after
surrendering their lives to Christ in 1964. Many who knew them said Anna was
the best preacher’s wife they had ever met, a reflection of her warmth,
integrity, and tireless devotion.
Anna possessed
many talents—she was an exceptional bowler, talented oil painter, gardener, and
craftswoman, who could fix nearly anything she put her hands to. Alongside
Frank, she built homes and handcrafted clocks with care and precision. After
Frank’s passing, she continued serving at Smith River Baptist Church, leading a
women’s Bible study where her insight and preparation inspired those around
her.
She is survived
by her children, her brothers Irvin Peterson and Harold Harrison, her
grandchildren Naomi Langworthy, Michael Perry, Thomas Perry, Scott Perry,
Krista Keeley, Samantha Petrigni, Rebecca Gruver and Travis Gruver, and a host
of great-grandchildren who will cherish her legacy of faith. She was preceded
in death by her husband, her parents, brothers George Peterson, and sisters
Alice Austin and Opal Fischer.