The accomplished basket maker and beloved New Bern resident, Billie Ruth Sudduth, passed away on October 12. Her legacy, however, lives on thanks to the impact she had on those around her and the intricate exhibits that adorn the halls of several museums.

A memorial to celebrate her life was held on October 25 at Christ Episcopal Church where she was a long-time influential member.

“Billie Ruth was an original,” said Robin Dreyer, communications manager at the Penland School of Craft. “She just had an unusual journey as a teacher and artist and just a real dedication to what she was doing and doing. She described herself as a basket evangelist.

Becoming a famous basketball player has not always been his dream in life.

Born in Sewanee, TN on September 13, 1945, Billie Ruth was raised in Birmingham, AL by her parents, James Gilbert and Hazel E. Stewart.

Billie Ruth began her graduate studies at Huntingdon College and graduated with a BA in Psychology and Sociology in 1967.

In 1969, she received a master’s degree in social work from the University of Alabama, where she met her husband Doug. They married in December 1968.

She pursued her graduate studies in education, special education, learning disabilities, and language for over a decade at East Carolina University, the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, and Fresno Pacific College.

Billie Ruth juggled a professional career as a social worker and school psychologist while raising her two sons Mark, born in 1970 and Chris, born in 1974.

While working at Craven Community College in 1983, a stressful year led her to try a class that would change her life in less than 15 minutes.

During a summer basket weaving course in college, Billie Ruth realized it was her passion and became a full-time artisan in 1989. She even started her own business, Just a Bunch of Baskets, JABOBS.

Billie Ruth’s eye-catching baskets are recognizable because she has incorporated the Fibonacci and nature sequence into every design and style. This has resulted in end products that mimic the rhythmic and fluid growth pattern of nature.

“We are now using these mathematical algorithms in schools for art projects, a kind of teaching of mathematics and art. She was sort of the first part of that, ”said Michaele Rose Watson, of Michaele Artist in Glass & Clay.

Another signature of Billie Ruth’s baskets are the all-natural dyes like henna, madder, iron oxide, and crushed walnuts that combine to create her richly colored vessels.

“When she walked into baskets she walked in with all her heart and soul, it became almost a mission for her,” Dreyer said.

Billie Ruth shared her enthusiasm for making baskets with budding artists and was a fixture in classrooms at Penland School of Crafts, Campbell Folk School and Arrowmont.

“When she taught, it always seemed like the happiest bunch of people,” Dreyer said. “I think she was just inspiring and empowering for the students.”

Her baskets, which she created to advocate for a person’s interests rather than objects, have been featured in prestigious exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Art and Design in New York, the Charles A Wustum Museum of Fine Art in Racine, WI and others.

Billie Ruth has received a plethora of prestigious awards, but her most revered was named a Living Treasure by the State of North Carolina in 1997. It is the highest honor for North Carolinians in the field of crafts and craftsmanship. she was the first woman to get this.

Upon returning to Craven County several years ago, Billie Ruth not only continued to perfect her art, but also supported other local artists.

“She’s collected the work of a lot of people because she loves art and always wanted it around her,” Watson said.

Watson said Billie Ruth was caring and helped local artists with marketing techniques and sincerely wanted everyone to be successful.

Billie Ruth loved her family and loved not only art, but life.

She is survived by Doug, siblings Anne, Linda and Mike, her sons and grandchildren.