Ruth GALBRAITH

RUTH GALBRAITH
For those of us who knew Ruth well it will come as no surprise that she wanted to have a hand in writing her own obituary and so it is as follows:
Ruth Galbraith (nee Witrofsky, born January 15, 1932, died October 23, 2013) wife, mother, grandmother, physician (Queen's Meds 1957), teacher, researcher, author, gardener, quilter, golfer (sort of), bridge player (sort of) and sports enthusiast, was fascinated by people and their diversity. DID HER BEST.
  And her best was very good indeed. She was born to Elly and Jakob Witrofsky in Lethbridge, Alberta. When Ruth was two, she and her mother went to live with her maternal grandparents in Austria, where Elly, who was licensed to practice law, completed a second degree, in chemistry. They spent the next four years in Graz, but as tensions escalated in Europe, Elly and Ruth rejoined Jakob, a multilingual scientist working for the Lethbridge Agricultural Research Station. After the war, the Witrofskys moved to Ottawa and worked as translators for the Canadian and British Governments assisting in the war effort.
  In Ottawa Ruth excelled at both academics and sport and won a scholarship to Queen's University to study medicine. She was one of only a few women to be admitted to Queen's in Medicine that year. She never considered herself a pioneer or a role model for other women physicians but she certainly was.
  Ruth met the love of her life Peter Galbraith (Meds 1956) in her first year and they were married in 1954. Ruth completed her degree and graduated in 1957. While beginning her career as a physician she bore three children: Meredith, Chris and Leslie. Ruth was a medical researcher in Neonatology, studying high-risk newborns, taught Paediatrics at Queen's University, and ran the well-baby clinic for many years.
  It is telling the order in which she described her priorities: 'wife' followed by 'mother and grandmother'. She and Peter were passionately in love and they were best friends for 62 years.
  The joy and legacy of Ruth's life are her children and grandchildren. 'Mr. Pete', as he is known in the family, was her first grandchild. She was working at the hospital the morning Peter was born and, in her words, 'trying to maintain a professional manner', promptly burst into tears when she learned the happy news. Ruth has two granddaughters, Jamie and Gabrielle, whom she adored and two more grandsons, Boris and Angus, who shed a golden glow in her life.
  Ruth had a multitude of interests. On a dare she wrote a murder mystery, 'A Convenient Death', which was accepted for publication. Ruth's whimsical quilts adorned the nurseries of her grandchildren and, ever a forward-thinker, she has quilts in storage for her great- grandchildren.
  In retirement Ruth golfed (as if it were her job) five days a week and gardened obsessively. She loved the Toronto Maple Leafs and Queen's Gaels Football. Her incisive, intelligent and searching questions enlivened cocktail parties and family dinners. She welcomed her children's and grandchildren's partners into the family with a loving warmth and generosity. Lee, Rob, David, Rachel and Parker were equally smitten. She was a marvelous friend and the circle of friends she and Peter gathered around them were loyal and fun loving. Their parties were legendary.
  Ruth was much loved by her family and friends. She lived through a time of massive social change in the world and in Canada. She worked as a physician in the days when married women were expected to relinquish their careers to become housewives and mothers. Her brilliant mind was active and searching even to the end. She WAS THE BEST.
  Friends, family and colleagues are invited to a Celebration of her Life that will be held at the Cataraqui Golf and Country Club at 961 King Street West in Kingston, ON K7L 4V6, on Sunday, October 27 at 5 p.m.
  Our deepest gratitude to the medical community in Kingston for her care and treatment: Dr. John Matthews, Dr. Ruth MacSween, Dr. Wendy Wobeser, Dr. Cathy Vakil, Dr. Ray Viola and Dr. Natalie Kondor of Palliative Care, the Community Care Access Centre, Nurses of Saint Elizabeth, and Geraldine Fontanilla. We would like to offer a very special thank you to Dr. Ivan Stewart for his most compassionate care.
  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Ruth's alma mater, Queen's University School of Medicine.