Ruth Mildred Coffin Cliff

1915 - 2012

Ruth Mildred Coffin Cliff

July 11, 1915

February 16, 2012

Ruth Mildred Coffin Cliff was gently lifted from this life to the next on February 16, 2012, at age 96, in Reno, NV. Ruth was born at home in East Waldoboro, Maine, on July 11, 1915, to John Benjamin Franklin Coffin and Helen Hoffses Coffin. Her parents named her, but by the time the birth certificate was filled out, her older brother's name for her stuck: Ruth Mildred.

Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers, Ralph and Harry Coffin, her loving husband, Walter Cliff, and her grandson, Mark Dill. She is survived by her daughter, Roberta Dill (Don), Reno, NV, grandsons, Stephen (Joanne), San Mateo, CA, Kevin Dill, and two great-grandsons, Jason and Scott, as well as a nephew, Richard Coffin (Joan), Pollack Pines, CA, and a niece, Florence Ellis (Randy), Barrie, Ontario, Canada.

Maybe because one grandfather was a Civil War survivor and the other was a sea captain, Ruth and her younger brother grew up and worked hard, and were expected to do chores that were age-appropriate, whether it was bringing the milk cows in to the bard or driving a team of horses. Times were difficult and meals were served three times a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. No snacks and you ate what was served to you.

Ruth knew the value of thrift and was resourceful. She was loyal to friends and family and assumed responsibility for whatever task she undertook. She had a strong work ethic and had to be reminded that it wasn't necessary to wipe up water spots on a sink before exited a public restroom.

Ruth was quick to laugh, possessed a sharp tongue, and loved to play cribbage. If you really didn't want to hear her true opinion, don't ask her for it.

On October 1, 1925, when she was ten, her family left Maine, bound for Sonoma, California. Her father drove his 1925 Dodge Touring Car, accompanied by her brother Ralph in his car. They stayed with relatives until they reached St. Louis, Missouri. Lacking motels, they camped. Everything they needed was packed into the two cars, home-canned food, clothes, and some furniture. Many pieces of good furniture were left behind. They arrived in Sonoma on October 23, 1925.

The roads were dirt and there were no bridges to cross the river. Las Vegas, Nevada, was a crossroad with a gas station, a small general store, and maybe a post office.

Ruth and her younger brother started school and her classmates teased her about her Maine accent. She survived and thrived. As a teenager, during the Depression after 1929, she was frugal and a "no frills" common-sense kind of woman, except for having her hair done in a beauty shop. She worked during the summer in the local fruit orchards by gathering fruit then working in the packing shed. She used the money to buy school clothes. She also saved money and by age thirteen, she bought a horse for $50.

Ruth was one of the few girls who rode horses. A favorite ride was to go east from Sonoma into the hills, until she could see the Napa Valley.

Her father had always encouraged her to stand up for herself and say what she thought. Those moments of feistiness would shine through periodically. She drove her father's car for two years before the highway patrolman spoke to her father; she got her driver's license at age 14. She drove until she was 92, when she moved to Reno.

Ruth played the violin in the high school orchestra, knew shorthand, and loved to dance. She was a member of the Rebekahs by age 18. At a joint meeting with the Odd Fellows one night, she saw a tall, handsome young man, Walter Cliff. She thought to herself, if he's not married, he will be.

In October, 1935, they married, a union which lasted for 54 years until Walter's death. Walter built a beautiful home in El Verano, CA, and they lived there until 1943. In August of that year, they bought a four hundred acre ranch and with their daughter, Roberta, they moved to Taylorsville, CA. It came complete with cattle and horses, a dream come true.

Walter learned to ride horses, but preferred to leave most of the riding to Ruth and Roberta. They raised 2,000 laying hens every year and sold the eggs commercially. Once a week, Ruth delivered fresh eggs by the dozen to customers in Greenville, CA, then bought groceries. They hatched and raised turkeys, as well as sold eggs for hatching. Ruth worked alongside Walter. If she could life something, she carried it.

Summers brought friends and family to visit, and many ended up working on the ranch and forming good work habits from stacking hay bales to washing dishes. Some said it was the best time of their lives.

Ruth was a charter member of the Greenville Soroptimist Club, and served as its president as well as convention delegate. She and Walter were co-community leaders for the local 4-H club, and members of the Farm Bureau. She also played bridge in her spare time.

Ruth could shoot and clean a rifle. She had a permit to carry a concealed weapon. She preferred to be outdoors and enjoyed gardening until she moved to Reno, NV.

In 1975, Ruth and Walter sold the ranch and moved to a new home, built on 80 acres that they owned. In the 1980s, Ruth finally stopped riding horses only because her last horse died of old age. She enjoyed having her grandsons come to stay and visit. She was amazed that she had great-grandsons.

Ruth continued to live there until 2007, when she sold her home and moved to Reno to be near her daughter and family. She still continued to live by herself, and still gave orders, as needed, on how to do things.

We invite you to send a condolence message in the Book of Memories Online Tribute at www.waltonsfuneralhomes.com.