Mary Ruth Duncan

Ruth Duncan, 91, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, passed away peacefully Monday, March 9, 2026, at her home after a brief illness.

Born Mary Ruth Tindall on May 2, 1934, to Otto and Floy (Mahan) Tindall, she was the youngest of seven children and the only girl. She grew up with her older brothers on a farm in Arkansas in a place called Rabbit Ridge, where she learned to chop cotton, milk cows, cook on a wood stove, and iron her brothers’ shirts with an 18-pound hand iron. Ruth always said she learned her numbers by counting the strokes while she churned butter.

Ruth attended public school in Van Buren County, Arkansas, where she developed her extraordinary gift of gab. She loved to talk, kid around and play pranks with her friends, cousins, and especially her niece, Dean Tindall, who was only two years younger and more like a sister. One day, Ruth and her friend Mary Jo Hill (who later married Ruth's brother, Hayes) were on the school bus laughing and singing, perhaps a little too loudly. Unbeknownst to them, one of the older boys who heard them was the bus monitor. He wrote down Ruth's name, turned her in to the bus driver, and Ruth wound up in the principal's office.

Ruth apparently forgave the bus monitor (whose name was Leland Duncan) for being a snitch, because a few years later, on May 28, 1952, Ruth and Leland were married; and for the next 72 and a half years, through good times and bad, they journeyed through life together.

After Leland was discharged from the Army, they made their home in North Little Rock, Arkansas, where Ruth worked at the Jackson Cookie Company until they started a family. When Leland was called to the ministry a few years later, Ruth accepted the added responsibility of being a pastor's wife. Over the next 13 years, she served faithfully alongside Leland at churches in Indiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, and finally in Poplar Bluff.

Ruth worked part-time outside the home once their sons, Wally and Greg, reached school age, and moved to full-time when Leland took a position with the General Baptist Headquarters in Poplar Bluff. Most often, Ruth worked in sales-related jobs, which was the perfect role given her warm and outgoing personality, genuine interest in other people, and aforementioned verbal talents. She sold Luzier cosmetics, shoes, and clothing. For many years, Ruth was best known around town as a salesclerk at Roth's Department Store, where her boss, Ed Cannon, once remarked, "Ruth could sell snow to an Eskimo." Many a lady walked into Roth's to buy a foundation garment and walked out with an entire wardrobe, thanks to Ruth's sales abilities.

Ruth was always strong in her Christian faith and lived her life accordingly. She was a charter member of Fellowship General Baptist Church, where she was active in Women's Missions. She made it a point to greet visitors at church and make them feel welcome.

After her sons were grown and there were hungry grandchildren around, Ruth perfected her baking skills. She was known for her strawberry pie, chocolate sheet cake, Amish bread and, especially, her peanut brittle. Almost everyone who tried it said, “Ruth, that’s the best peanut brittle I ever ate!” Though she kept the recipe a secret, she was always happy to make it for others and over the years she made and gave away hundreds of batches.

Ruth was a loving, fun, and supportive mother to her sons and took great joy in being a grandmother and great-grandmother. Her great-grandchildren called her "GG-Ma".

Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, Leland; an infant son, David Warren Duncan; her parents; and her brothers Milburn Tindall, Quinton (Bill) Tindall, Ray Tindall, Glenn Tindall, Hayes Tindall, and Gene Tindall. She is survived by her sons, Wally (Kathy) Duncan of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and Greg (Mariela) Duncan of Phuket, Thailand; five grandchildren, Eric (Cristina) Duncan, Natalie (Ben) Gunning, Nicole (Andrew) Hewitt, Sophie Duncan, and Alex Duncan; four great-grandchildren, Connor Duncan, Everleigh Hewitt, Axel Gunning, and Ruby Gunning; along with numerous nieces and nephews and many friends.

Visitation will be held on Monday, March 23, 2026, beginning at 10:00 a.m., at Fellowship General Baptist Church, followed by funeral services at 11:00 a.m. with the Reverend Byron Beck officiating. The burial will follow at 1:00 p.m. at Missouri Veteran's Cemetery in Bloomfield, Missouri, where Ruth will be laid to rest with Leland.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Faithful Milers Sunday School Class or Women's Missions at Fellowship General Baptist Church, or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.