ROBERTA RUTH JOLITZ

Roberta Ruth Jolitz (nee Schupbach) passed away peacefully early Tuesday morning at the age of 92. She will be greatly missed by friends and family.

Ruth, as she was known, had a long, rich and colorful life. She grew up in Wilbur, Nebraska, and graduated from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln before joining the Waves in 1944. She served in the Navy as a Control Tower Operator on the West Coast until the end of World War II.

In 1947, she married William Jolitz after having met him only five weeks before the wedding. After their first child, Charles, was born, Ruth went to graduate school and received a master's degree in educational psychology. While raising a family of three children, Ruth worked as a guidance counselor in the Lincoln public school system. It was during this time that her interest in community theater began and she often performed at the Lincoln Community Playhouse.

In 1966, the family moved to St. Mary's, Ohio, and Ruth began working as an elementary school teacher and in 1972, they moved again, this time to Akron, Ohio. In Akron, Ruth became a familiar face on the stage at the Weathervane Playhouse and occasionally appeared in dinner theater. She also began her longstanding membership in the AAUW. After Bill's retirement the couple moved to Green Valley and Bill joined the IESC, a volunteer organization that sends retired executives as advisors to businesses in developing countries. Through the IESC Ruth and Bill spent four months in Malaysia and two years in Jordan as well as traveling extensively worldwide on their own.

After leaving the IESC, Ruth joined the Green Valley Players and performed in many of their productions. She was also an active member of Storytellers and the Desert WAVES. After Bill's death in 2010, Ruth made several trips abroad with her daughter. Her last trip was to fulfill her lifelong wish to see the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Ruth is survived by her two living children, Evan Jolitz and Martha Willey; her grandchildren, Amethyst Willey, Jesse Willey, Kelsey Jolitz and Alyssa Jolitz; her great-grandchildren, Aurora Chapple and Colin Chapple; her brother, Charles Robert Schupbach; and nephew, William Jolitz. Her husband, William Jolitz, and a son, Charles Jolitz, precede her in death.

The family will receive visitors from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at Ruth's home in Green Valley. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either The Green Valley Players or AAUW.