Ruth Anne Garrison

Garrison, Ruth Anne (McBride), passed away September 30, 2008 in the presence of her family in Davis, CA. Ruth Anne was born January 14, 1921 in Panora, Iowa. Her father, Arthur Wood McBride moved with his wife, Ruth Babbitt McBride, Ruth Anne and her brother Arthur McBride to Orange County California in 1927 where he edited and published the La Habra Star. Ruth Anne fondly remembered working in the town library and riding her bicycle through the orange groves to picnic with her friends. She excelled at Fullerton High School and earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in English Literature from Pomona College in 1942. Ruth Anne's nascent sense of humor and flair for character acting really blossomed at college, and the friends she made at Pomona lasted a lifetime. She met her husband, Erskine Pope Garrison at Fort Lewis, Washington while serving in the Red Cross. After a couple of years living in Raleigh, North Carolina near Pope's family, the couple settled in Long Beach, California where they raised their three children, Stephen, Janet and Julie. Pope and Ruth Anne moved to Newport Beach in 1979. Ruth Anne brought her excellent intelligence, vocabulary, grammar and wit to her parenting, her marriage, her executive secretary work and her bridge games, her crossword puzzles and acrostics and her many friendships. She traveled to every continent except Antarctica, but she was never happier than when she was sitting at home with a good book and a carefully prepared sandwich with garnish. She is survived by her three children, her daughters-in-law, Laura J Reyes and Janet Bacon Garrison; her three grandchildren, Daniel, Laura and Alicia, and her new great-granddaughter, Amelia Clair Garrison. Donations can be made in Ruth Anne's name to Yolo Hospice, POB 1014, Davis, CA 95617.