RUTH SEARLES DILLON

RUTH SEARLES DILLON WHITEHALL, N.Y. - Ruth Searles Dillon, 88, passed away peacefully on July 12, 2009, surrounded by family and the caring friends of the Apple Inn, where she resided in her final years. Ruth was born on April 18, 1921, in Newport, Vt., the daughter of Cy and Marjorie (Nelson) Searles. It was in Newport that she met her husband Peter, who celebrated more than 50 years of marriage with Ruth prior to his passing in 2001. In addition to her parents, her brothers, Richard and Robert predeceased Ruth. Ruth is survived by her three children, Paul of Los Angeles, Calif., David of Warren, Vt., and Mary of Rochester, N.Y.Also surviving are her five grandchildren, Paul's son Jesse of Brooklyn, N.Y.; David's children, Sean of Bronxville, N.Y. and Heather of Philadelphia; and Mary's children, Ian and Caitlin, of Virginia Beach, Va. Ruth was raised in Newport, where her father was a jeweler and member of the Vermont legislature. A graduate of Newport High School, she enjoyed skiing and horseback riding. After high school, she attended the Katherine Gibbs school in Boston. She returned to Vermont to work and raise her family. Peter's positions with the Internal Revenue Service took them from Bennington, Rutland and Burlington in Vermont, to Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Hartford, Conn., and back to Burlington, where Peter retired as District Director. Ruth was an avid flower gardener and enjoyed summer vacations with friends and family at her parents' cottage on Lake Memphramegog. A memorial service for immediate family will be held in Newport. Ruth will be interred at the Pine Bluff Cemetery on the Bluff Road in Newport. Send private condolences through www.aldousfuneralhome.co m . Arrangements are by the Aldous Funeral and Cremation Service.