Ruth Hanna SMITH

1918 - 2022

SMITH - Ruth Hanna
September 28, 1918 - June 19, 2022, age 103. Beloved wife of the late Bernard H. Smith, M.D. (1917-1985); daughter of the late James S. Hanna (1884-1984) and the late Ruby E. Hanna (née Hollenbeck) (1885-1938); and sister of the late Barbara Hanna Van Baalen (1919-2009). Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, during the 1918 influenza pandemic, Ruth was educated at the University of Michigan, Grand Rapids, and Simmons College, Boston, where she achieved her Bachelor of Science degree in 1940. She served with the American Red Cross in Liverpool and London, England, and in Paris, France, during and immediately after the Second World War. She lived in Boston in late 1940s and 1950s, working in insurance and hospital administration. In 1958, Ruth was recruited by the chief operating officer of Meyer Memorial Hospital (now Erie County Medical Center) in Buffalo to become the Chief Librarian of its Medical Records Department, a role she filled for 21 years. Shortly after her arrival in Buffalo, she met Dr. Smith, who was chief of neurology at ECMC until his retirement in 1979. They married in 1959, and together they traveled the world during their 25-year marriage. Ruth was an avid reader, art and opera aficionado, and dog lover. She resided for more than 60 years on High Park Boulevard in Eggertsville, where she loved to walk and drive her '92 Mercedes coupe until age 100. She will be missed by countless friends and relatives. No prior visitation. Private Funeral Services will be held at the convenience of the family. Arrangements by LOMBARDO FUNERAL HOME.