Age 104
Sister Ruth was known for her quiet strength, leadership and flexibility.
She knew from a young age that she wanted to be a nurse. She began her studies right after high school and soon became a licensed registered nurse. In high school, she decided to enter the Immaculate Heart of Mary Community, but her plans were thwarted when she learned that they did not offer nursing. She looked into other communities, but none felt right to her until her brother, a Jesuit priest, introduced her to the Sisters of Mercy in Baltimore, Maryland, where she entered at the age of 23.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Mt. Agnes College in Baltimore, Maryland, and a master’s degree in social work and social welfare from St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduation from St. Louis University, she became an administrator at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore for 12 years and then served for a decade in social services at Stella Maris, a nursing home and retirement center in Timonium, Maryland. At the hospital she was a key figure and a significant guiding force behind the construction of the Tower Building, now known as McAuley Tower.
In 1973, Sister Ruth was elected to community leadership, serving for six years for the former Baltimore Regional Community. Next, she ministered in social work for five years at Villa Mercy, a nursing home for people in need, in Daphne, Alabama. Then she served for seven years in social work at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Dahlonega, Georgia. Her final ministry was as a resident manager at Portier Place in Mobile, Alabama, where she was able to spend her time with elderly residents there on a one-on-one basis.
Sister Ruth retired from active ministry in 2006 and moved to The Villa, the Sisters of Mercy retirement convent in Baltimore. In 2018, the sisters moved to Mercy Springwell in Mt. Washington. Despite health issues, even at the age of 104, Sister Ruth remained cheerful with the sisters and staff and was serene and peaceful in her last days.