ROCKFORD — Ruth Fairchild kept two things in the trunk of her car at all times: a bag of toiletries and a jar of her homemade barbecue sauce.

A friend to the homeless, convicts, community leaders and priests, she judged no one and helped everyone. She was known to drive around town and stop to hand out toothbrushes, clean undergarments and, yes, barbecue sauce — just in case you hadn’t tried it yet.

An entrepreneur at heart, Fairchild moved to Rockford in 1994 with a plan to improve the lives of those in public housing. While she became known in the community for her eclectic style and large, elaborate hats, it was her relentless networking skills that made it almost impossible to find someone whose life she didn’t touch.

“At 10 years old, when I lived in public housing, I asked God, when I get out of here, I’m going to help other people get out,” Fairchild told the Register Star in 2016. “Every job I have ever had, I always knew that I would do this.”

Ruthie Dell Fairchild, 71, died Tuesday at Mercyhealth Hospital-Rockton Avenue as a result of injuries sustained in a traffic accident Sunday afternoon in Jo Daviess County.

“It’s overwhelming how amazing she was,” said her daughter, Malika Williams-Miller, of Atlanta. “She was everywhere, she knows everybody, she’s dependable and she gets things done. It’s tragic the way she passed, but I’m also heart warmed to know how many lives she touched.”

A Mississippi native, Fairchild grew up in Chicago, graduated from high school at 16, and attended college in Clinton, Iowa, where her work with impoverished communities began. She went on to help various communities in the Midwest launch outreach programs for the homeless and public housing communities before landing in Rockford. It was in Iowa that she met her former husband and raised two children. She had five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

In the late 1990s, Fairchild became the community outreach coordinator for Zion LutheranChurch, a partnership that fostered dozens of relationships within the community. While she wore many hats — quite literally — one of Fairchild’s favorites was simply “Miss Ruth.”

Working with children became a primary focus for Fairchild. She went on to help forge partnerships between Zion Lutheran and the Patriots Gateway Community Center, as well as found the Buddy House at Blackhawk Courts, a two-bedroom apartment at the BlackhawkCourts public housing complex that she turned into a place of solace for residents, particularly children, to feel safe.

“With the black community, we don’t call you by your first name,” said Janice Forrest, manager of the Buddy House. “It’s always ‘Miss’ or ‘Mrs.’ as a sign of respect. They respected her as a black leader.”

Fairchild also fostered the partnership between Angelic Organics Learning Center and theRockford Housing Authority that resulted in creation of Blackhawk Farms and Garden, which was planted and maintained by Blackhawk residents. Produce from the garden is available to them at all times.

“They only need one person to be there for them that they know that they can count on,”Fairchild said in 2016. “This is so rewarding because you can see lives change, and the children have a chance if you can influence them in a positive way.”

It wasn’t just the children’s lives she changed. Forrest said that during their eight-year friendship, working together every day, Fairchild made her a better version of herself.

“She taught me how to love Jesus and how to reach out to people when people are in need, not to be selfish, to always look for the good in people, and to do the right thing,” Forrest said.

“She taught me to hold my head up and be a role model and leader because you never know who is watching, and to never come out the house without your hair not done.”

In recent years Fairchild worked as a liaison for the Family to Family program, a coalition of 26 faith communities that came together to ease the transition of former residents of the RHA’sFairgrounds Valley housing development on the west side to new homes at the Grove at KeithCreek. The program connects families with financial, legal, career, education and transportation resources to improve their lives.

Jim Andrews, program lead for Family to Family, said Fairchild was the backbone of the program and the bridge to the black community.

“Whenever we were frustrated or stumped in our work with the families of The Grove, we would turn to Ruth and she would have insight to our situation,” Andrews said. “She helped me see my own racism and dismantle my own personal prejudices.”

Fairchild housed a large personality in a petite frame and could be simultaneously sweet and tough as nails. She would crack jokes, mumble frustrations under her breath and raise a hand to say “Lord help me.” But amid any frustration she kept an unwavering faith that tomorrow would be a better day.

“Her legacy is going to live on because so many folks are so connected to her that it can’t help but continue,” said Ron Clewer, a former RHA CEO who spent years working with Fairchild on public housing initiatives. “She really is one of a kind; the only thing bigger than her hat collection was her heart.”

Funeral services for Fairchild are pending.

Kayli Plotner: @Kayplot