Ruth Esther (Williams) Vojnovski

Ruth Esther Vojnovski, age 84, left her earthly body and entered into the presence of Christ on January 14, 2026, following a courageous two-month hospitalization after suffering a brain hemorrhage caused by an aneurysm associated with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM).

Born August 3, 1941, in Blanton, Florida, to Fred and Dora (Campbell) Williams, Ruth grew up in Dade City, Florida with her six siblings. Following the death of her mother in 1958, Ruth and her three younger siblings moved to live with her oldest sister and brother-in-law in Jacksonville, Florida. She graduated from Robert E. Lee Senior High School, Jacksonville, in 1959. After high school, Ruth worked for Prudential Insurance Company in Jacksonville until marrying her first husband Thomas McBeth in 1960. She moved with her husband to Pennsylvania, and early in the marriage they welcomed four children in four years. As the family moved to Ohio, South Carolina, back to Pennsylvania and then to Western New York, Ruth was the bedrock of the home as a devoted mother and tireless homemaker. When her children grew older, she also worked various jobs to help support the family. 

Since becoming a Christian in 1974, Ruth was a member of a church community wherever she lived and enjoyed interacting with members of her Sunday School class, reading the Bible and participating in various outreach projects. Ruth moved with her first husband to Orange Park, Florida in 1981. After a divorce in 1982, she took a job at Moosehaven Retirement Community in Orange Park initially as a kitchen helper in a resident hall and then soon after as a Resident Hall Supervisor. Her natural organizational skills suited her well for this position. While there, Ruth met her second husband, Edward Vojnovski, and they married in 1983. After a little over 20 years, in 2003, Ruth retired from Moosehaven to care for her husband who had suffered debilitating injuries from a car accident. She and Edward were married for 42 years until his passing in December 2025. Before Ruth’s hospitalization in mid-November 2025, she lovingly and selflessly served as her husband’s full-time caregiver for many years.

Ruth was a woman of remarkable industry and grit and never shied-away from a challenge, whether that be sewing clothes for her young children, building a shed, gardening and mowing the lawn into her 80s. Ruth’s family and friends will also remember her as kind, compassionate, loyal and selfless. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and great-aunt. She will be sorely missed, especially her beautiful smile and infectious laugh. It is comforting to know she is safely home now in the arms of Jesus, her savior. 

Ruth was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Edward Vojnovski; sisters, Francis McDavid and Marie Gulledge; and brothers, Freddie and Joe Williams.

Ruth leaves behind a sister: Pearl Preston; a brother: Thomas Williams; a daughter: Cheryl Stenzel; three sons: Samuel (Melody) McBeth, Neil (Paula Sallin) McBeth, Scot (Pattie) McBeth; a step-daughter: Pam Vojnovski; nine grandchildren: Ian (Krysta) Stenzel, Alec (Libby) Stenzel, Sean (Michelle) McBeth, Tammy (Mike) Armstrong, Sara (Josh) Beloate, Brian (Alex) McBeth, Jessica (Jason) Maddox, Ashleigh McBeth, Kierra (Carl) Ashman; fourteen great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews, and many great-nieces and great-nephews.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 1 p.m. at Riverside Memorial Park,

7242 Normandy Boulevard, Jacksonville, Florida 32205. Aaron and Burney Bivens Funeral Home, (904) 264-1233, is serving the family. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to Baptist Neurological Institute-Baptist Health Foundation, 841 Prudential Dr. Ste.1300, Jacksonville, Florida 32207 or giving.baptistjax.com or to Community Hospice & Palliative Care, 4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32257 or thefoundationcares.org/give.

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