Ruth Lorraine Woodward

Find a Grave

Birth: Feb. 6, 1922 Bayonne Hudson County New Jersey, USA

Death: Dec. 7, 2009 Princeton Mercer County New Jersey, USA

Obituary:

Ruth Lorraine Woodward, 87, of Princeton, passed away peacefully on December 7, 2009. She was born in 1922 in Bayonne, NJ, to William Henry Errien and Isabel (Ackerman) Errien. She grew up in Kingston and completed secondary education at Princeton High School in 1937. Later she earned a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University and worked as a research assistant at the History Department in Princeton University.

Ruth was a life-long member of Princeton United Methodist Church. That is where she met her husband, Dr. J. Guy Woodward, a physicist at the Sarnoff Research Center, and that is where they were married in 1945. They raised their family in Princeton.

Ruth was active in the United Methodist Women, the Women's College Club of Princeton, the Evening Circle, and a quilting club. She leaves behind many beautiful quilts that are prized by her family and friends, as well as several contributions to historical research: "A Journey of Faith for One Hundred and Fifty Years: A History of the Princeton United Methodist Church (1997)"; "Princetonians, 1784-1790: A Biographical Dictionary" (with Wesley F. Craven, 1991); "Princetonians, 1784-1790: A Biographical Dictionary" (with J. Jefferson Looney, 1991).

Ruth was predeceased by her husband Guy, by their daughter Keitha Jane Woodward, and by her sister Lois Errien. She is survived by her daughter Marcia Woodward of North Carolina, by her daughter Lenore Brown and son-in-law Richard Brown of Ewing, NJ, by her granddaughter Christina Shenvi and husband Neil Shenvi, of New Haven, CT, by her grandson Daniel Brown of Bethlehem, PA, and by her great-grandson Adrian Shenvi. Ruth had many life-long friends, and for her the saying was true that "Friends are threads of gold in the quilt of life."

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 19, at 1:30 pm, at Princeton United Methodist Church, 7 Vandeventer Street, Princeton, 08542.

• **************** Eulogy by Marcia Woodward and Lenore Brown (daughters of Ruth Woodward)

It's impossible to condense a whole lifetime of love and care into a few brief paragraphs, but when we remember Mom, we always think of holidays. She and Dad used home-style creativity to make every holiday a special event. December brings back memories of how the house was turned into a wonderland: homemade garlands and decorations, Mom letting us "help" her make Christmas cookies, decorating the tree together, carefully chosen and beautifully wrapped gifts piling up beneath it.

Mom's creativity expressed itself in many other ways, as well. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, she worked hard by sewing many of our clothes when we were young, and also completed elegant works of needlepoint, embroidery, and crocheting. Now of course she is remembered for her beautiful quilts that she has given to many individuals and charities.

Once we girls were grown older, Mom enrolled at Rutgers University, studying English and History. We were so proud when she graduated with high honors! She went on to work in the history department at Princeton, become a freelance writer for several newspapers, and a published author. Her love of history and research continued to the end of her life.

Family links:

Parents:

• William H Errien (1883 - 1959)
• Isabel Viola Ackerman Errien (1895 - 1979)

Spouse:

• J Guy Woodward (1914 - 2000)

Children:

• Keitha Jane Woodward (1947 - 1967)*

Burial: Sunset Memorial Park Feasterville Bucks County Pennsylvania, USA Plot: In columbarium.

Created by: Darrell Brown Record added: Aug 21, 2012 Find A Grave Memorial# 95702895