On May 15, 2023, with honor and dignity, 98 year old Ruth L. Perry: mother/grandmother/ great grandmother/friend/cherished companion slipped peacefully out of our world and into the next, at home, as was her fondest wish.
She was thankfully surrounded by those she most cherished. Married for 72 years, to her husband Paul, who pre-deceased her by 8 months, Concord was their home for more than 7 decades.
Ruth leaves behind her a daughter, Elaine in Cape Coral, FL along with two of the most awesome caregivers/friends Sid and Paula, who tended to her every need with love and compassion. Sadly, a son, Steven, also pre-deceased her in 2013.
One of Ruth’s life passions was oil painting, and while dutifully tackling the requisite still-lifes of the period, she subsequently turned to a variety of nature scenes, which were much more to her liking. Recently, she enjoyed using animals and did numerous horses, dogs and cats–even foxes or rabbits. The rule seemed to be that if it had fur, she could paint it.
Since her initial forays into painting in the 1950’s, she became an accomplished artist—with more than 375 canvases to her name! She took great pride and pleasure in donating many of these to friends, family and just about anyone who expressed interest in her art.
Ruth exemplified caring, compassion and love, never uttering a single unkind word about others. She bonded not only with people, but also with cats and horses–in that order: not so much dogs, but she made special exceptions for ‘Nikki’ and ‘Ruby’.
In addition to her artistic talents, she also counseled residents with challenging issues, both at mental health facilities and in their own individual homes, helping reintegrate them into mainstream society. Not only did she work at Metropolitan State Hospital but, after its closing, at Emerson hospital as a ‘Case Aide ‘volunteer.
In her early years, Ruth coped with the couple’s two small children in the tiny community of Morningdale, MA–hardly an easy task for one raised in a tarpaper shack that built by her single mother!! (Somewhat unimaginably, they lived for 20+ years without the benefit of either electricity or running water.)
Another of her passions was composing letters and cards to family and friends…on an antiquated MANUAL typewriter no less: without any errors at all!
She was a devoted horsewoman and rode the many horses she welcomed into the barn out back–both her own and boarders from the local 4 H camp. She success- fully instilled a love of the western saddle in her children and many happy hours were spent on trails rides together, switching off between bike and horse.
Along with her husband, Ruth was enjoyed traveling and cruising to Canada, France, England, Bermuda, Hawaii and Tahiti—the latter two, TWICE.
Even at the end, her life was filled with laughter, friends and memories. She is, without a doubt the only nonagenarian to develop a sudden passion for the hockey and football–cheering on both the Bruins and the New England Patriots, accompanied by her awesome caregivers Sid and Paula, who became so very much more than that.
It was a truly remarkable ride, and both her natural offspring as well as her ‘adopted’ son and daughter are tremendously proud of her unending accomplishments!
It goes without saying that she left a gigantic hole in the many hearts of all those who knew and loved her.
Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord. To share a memory or to offer a condolence in Ruth’s online guestbook, please visit www.DeeFuneralHome.com.
