Ruth Ann and John grew up living down the street from each other in Pueblo, Colorado. In school, their alphabetical last names often resulted in them sitting next to each other. After graduation, John enlisted in the efforts of World War II, though he was never far from Ruth Ann’s thoughts. Upon his return, Ruth Ann and John started a family and began their respective careers; Ruth Ann in social work and John in the insurance business. A job transfer eventually led the Pile family to Topeka, Kansas, where they became members of Crestview United Methodist Church. The two loved to travel and shared adventures in Greece, Israel and Ireland. Ruth Ann recently met Alan Herndon, President and CEO of the Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation, during a presentation at Crestview UMC titled “How to Use Your Methodist Foundation”. Through this visit, Ruth Ann learned about Charitable Gift Annuities through the Foundation. She admits she struggles with the “business side of things” and the Foundation seemed like nice place to invest her money. Ruth Ann says a Charitable Gift Annuity is “a great help to me. It is the little things you give that you get back in return.” Crestview United Methodist Church was Ruth Ann’s choice as her beneficiary, as she has spent over half her life in this church watching families grow up! Ruth Ann believes “a person needs the church as a basis for family. Trust God and His ways.” Through her decision to invest her resources through the Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation to benefit her home church, Ruth Ann will continue to help families grow at Crestview UMC.
