Obituary of Verna Ruth Shumaker

Verna Ruth Shumaker, 87, of Zion passed away on May 8, 2021. She was born November 27, 1933 in Como, TX to Newton and Rosie Harris. From Texas she moved to Illinois where she married Paul Shumaker on July 6, 1957 in Waukegan. They settled in Zion and had 1 child: Lisa. After marriage Verna and Paul ran a restaurant called “Ruth’s Lunch” for a short time. She then went on to work at Abbott Laboratories until her retirement in 1989. Verna resided in her home until the day of her passing. Verna was a fun loving, caring, kind, generous and forgiving person who enriched the lives of many. Independent and free, she loved to relax on her porch and watch the birds and country critters. She loved picking up rocks along the beach, craft projects, sending cards, rewarding good deeds and maintaining her titles of “Champion Scratcher” and “Beloved Potato Farmer”. Above all else she was a devoted daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend. She was truly one-of-a-kind. She is survived by her daughter Lisa (Ashok) Menon and her four grandchildren; Sunitha, Nayana, Shalini and Sanjay whom she loved deeply and to whom was a daily source of light, strength and stability. She is also survived by her brother Newton Austin (Chuck) Harris, sister-in-law Helen Harris and many nieces and nephews, all of whom held space in her heart. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, brothers (Dub, Doc, T, Joe, Red and Jimmy Harris), and sisters (Syble Stobough, Taffy Hamm and Burley Richardson). Visitation will be held on Saturday, May 15, 2021 at Congdon Funeral Home, 3012 Sheridan Rd., Zion, IL 60099 from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Funeral Service will begin at 11:00 a.m., Reverend David Padfield will officiate. Interment will be at Mt. Olivet Memorial Park in Zion, IL. Memorial contributions in Verna’s name may be made to Wounded Warriors.