Ruth Adler Schottman

Ruth Adler Schottman, 98, died peacefully at the Hospice House in Lincoln, MA on February 23, 2026. Born in Austria in 1927, Ruth came to the U.S. with her family in 1939 as Holocaust refugees. She attended George Washington High School in NYC. During the summers she worked on farms in upstate NY, through the Henry Street Settlement Farm Camp, where she also met her future husband, Tom Schottman. Ruth graduated from Cornell University in 1948, majoring in genetics. The same year, she married Tom (deceased in 2017).

After college, Ruth and Tom lived in Ithaca, Fabius, Cortland and Skaneateles, having a child in each location: Ann, Elly, Wendy and Tim. In 1959, the family moved to Burnt Hills, where Ruth and Tom had their fifth and final child, Kate. Ruth taught Natural History classes in Schenectady (through the Schenectady Museum and ECOS) and in the Adirondacks from the 1960s through the 2010s. She was a founding member of the Thursday Naturalists, a group of professional and amateur botanists, a violinist, and an ardent hiker, biker and swimmer. Her articles on wildflowers written for the Adirondac magazine were later compiled and published as a book, Trailside Notes.

Ruth loved spending time with her 8 grandchildren: Ben, Nick, Michela, Iza, Deny, Nora, Morgan and Laurel. She and Tom hosted them in Burnt Hills at “Grandma Ruth camp” where they gardened, picnicked, went camping and on hikes to local points of interest. Many of Ruth and Tom’s travels centered on visiting their children and grandchildren in the places where they lived. As her grandchildren grew into adults, these relationships matured into ones of shared interests and affection. Ruth was delighted when great grandchildren were born: Liam, Sasha, Soizic and Avi and relished the time she had together with them.

One of Ruth’s great strengths was her ability to make steadfast friends, people who shared her love of the natural world, her varied interests and her zest for adventure. This ability was something that stayed with her until the end. From 2022-2026, Ruth lived at Neville Place, an assisted living facility in Cambridge MA situated in a park setting with walking trails circling the adjoining reservoir. Several of Ruth’s ‘walking companions’ became friends and these relationships helped her retain quality of life, despite challenges.

I have learned one general principle from observing nature and reading about it: there are many ways of coping with life. For some of us, nature watching is a release from the relentless consciousness of self. We find joy in empathy with other organisms. … Rachel Carson wrote, “Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.” No matter how old you are, new discoveries—new to you—await you on every outing.
--Ruth Schottman, from Trailside Notes

Memorial contributions can be made to the land preservation and conservation organization of your choice.

Ruth set aside this poem to be shared with friends and family when she died.

It Is Enough
by Anne Alexander Bingham

To know that the atoms
of my body
will remain

to think of them rising
through the roots of a great oak
to live in
leaves, branches, twigs

perhaps to feed the
crimson peony
the blue iris
the broccoli

or rest on water
freeze and thaw
with the seasons

some atoms might become a
bit of fluff on the wing
of a chickadee
to feel the breeze
know the support of air

and some might drift
up and up into space
star dust returning from

whence it came
it is enough to know that
as long as there is a universe
I am a part of it.