Ruth Chue Young

RUTH CHUE YOUNG
ITHACA - Ruth Chue Young, 91, longtime resident of Ithaca, passed away peacefully June 5, 2008, at St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee, WI, in the company of loving family. Throughout her life, Ruth was a loving and caring person with a deep appreciation for classical music, travel, literature, and foreign languages. Born on May 7, 1917 in San Francisco, Ruth Chue was the oldest of four children born to parents who arrived from Canton, China in 1913; her father came to San Francisco to help the YMCA establish their youth program in Chinatown, and Ruth's mother became principal at Oakland's Chinese Episcopal Church School. Ruth graduated from UC Berkeley in June 1939 with a B.A. in Psychology. At UC Berkeley, she was the first Chinese-American member of their Prytanean Women's Honor Society, and played piano with and managed the Women's Orchestra. She met Dr. Leroy K. Young in 1938 and they married in April, 1942 in Oakland, CA. As newlyweds, Leroy and Ruth moved to Portland, OR, where Leroy worked for the FBI during World War II. Leroy subsequently joined the US Public Health Service and in 1946 was sent to Manila, Philippines, as a USPHS commissioned officer, providing consulting services to the Philippine government in tuberculosis control. In 1947, Ruth joined Leroy in the Philippines, where Leroy built a private practice, serving the medical needs of the post-war American and Allied community. Together, they formed the Bach Society of the Philippines and sponsored numerous concerts and performances.
In 1960, they moved to Ithaca, NY, where Leroy taught Health Administration at the Sloan Institute of Hospital Administration in Cornell's Business School for Business and Public Administration, and practicing medicine at Cornell's Gannett Clinic, Student Health Services. Ruth was active in the parish affairs of St. John's Episcopal Church and had a special compassion for newly arrived families from Southeast Asia.
Ruth and Leroy traveled extensively in France, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Japan, China, Canada, and across the United States. During these travels, they made many friends with whom they corresponded for many years.
After living for 44 years in their home in Cayuga Heights, Ruth moved to Longview in March, 2004 and continued to live there after Leroy's passing in March 2005. In October 2007, she relocated to Milwaukee to reside in the Bradford Terrace memory care unit, and to be closer to her daughter, Lorna. Even in twilight years, Ruth never lost her sweet and gracious personality and particularly enjoyed visits from her friends, children, and grandchildren.
Surviving Ruth are her son, Lester (Maria Santos) and grandchildren, Martin (great-grandson, James), Diana and Anthony; son, Peter (Judy Joy) and grandchildren, Derek, Brett and Stacey; and daughter, Lorna (Steven Cupery) and granddaughter, Devon.
A memorial service for Ruth will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church in Ithaca on Saturday, August 30, 2008, at 1:00 p.m. At that service, Ruth's ashes will be placed next to Leroy's.
To honor the memory of Ruth, please consider making financial donations to: Prytanean Alumnae, Inc., P.O. Box 5006, Berkeley, CA 94708; St. John's Episcopal Church, 210 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850; or to the Longview Ithacare Community, 1 Bella Vista Drive, Ithaca, NY 14850.