Most of you did not know Ruth Holley, my mother-in-law, who lived here on the
lower end of Boston Avenue for something like 30 years, unless you saw her
gardening in the yard up until a few years ago. She was almost blind and even
with hearing aids, it was hard to get her attention in later years, so I'm sure
some people said "Hello" in passing and didn't get a response. She was never
intentionally rude, and as a Midwesterner would have been embarrassed if she'd
known she wasn't responding. She was an introvert, though, and she outlived
all her friends both here and back in southern Michigan and northern Indiana,
where she was from.
She retired in Michigan, and moved to Maryland at the age of 72, where she
worked for a law library for another 8 years and retired a second time. She
followed Jack LaLanne's exercise programs on TV (!) and participated in water
aerobics at the college pool for over 20 years. She stayed active.
Around age 80 she stopped driving. In her 90s she had to stop quilting because
she could no longer see.
By the time she reached 100, she could no longer garden. You may have seen her
on Boston and Takoma up until last February, with her walker and my wife, Leta,
accompanying her. While recovering from a leg fracture and getting physical
therapy at home, she broke her hip, and even after two months in a
rehabilitation facility, she was not able to recover from this final blow.
She died last night at the age of 102. For those of you who would say hello
when you saw her out for her walk, my wife expressed her appreciation and asked
that I notify the listserv about Ruth's passing. As per her wishes, no service
is planned.
Grandma Ruth is survived by 4 children, 9 grandchildren, and 14 great
grandchildren.
Regards,
Paul
Blue Crab Software, LLC
http://www.bluecrabsoftware.com/
301.576.6447
202.291.2011
