RUTH MARGARET HEIMBURG

  
RUTH MARGARET HEIMBURG  
Died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Alexandria, Virginia on December 31, 2015. The immediate cause of death was a heart attack, her heart''s weakness probably a result of her lifelong struggle with diabetes. Ruth was born in Huntsville, Alabama and grew up there during the heyday of the race to the moon. She graduated from Huntsville High majoring in Theater and Humanities. From there she went to the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, joining the brave and now distinguished second class of women in the history of that revered institution. At Sewanee she was a student of Dorm Life, Liberal Arts, and Religion. For a professional start, she chose to strike out for Washington, DC, where she went door to door looking for work. She lived in the Thompson Markwood Christian Home for Women as her career in government contracting started, but that is another story. Over the years she worked on a great variety of projects for the Government Printing Office, Department of Energy, and the Navy. Along the way she earned a Master''s degree in Conflict Resolution from George Mason University, enabling her to moonlight as a divorce mediator. She was very active in her neighborhood, serving for years on the Board of Directors of the Belleview Condominiums. For the past three years she threw herself into organizing activities at the Mt. Vernon Unitarian Universalist Church.In each one of the social worlds hinted above, she leaves behind a circle of close friends and admirers with whom she has stayed in touch. They knew her for her warm friendship, humor and wit, the hilarious way she could spin a yarn, her love of giving ornately wrapped gifts, sending funny greeting cards, and serving elaborate hors d''oeuvres.Ruth was in the process of publishing two books: The House of Seven Fables, a children''s book in rhyme, and Small Bites, a cookbook for caregivers of the terminally ill. She is survived by her mother, Ruth in Huntsville, Alabama; brothers, Stephan and Klaus; nieces, Lauren, Stephanie and Zoe; and nephew, Calvin.There will be a memorial service and reception for Ruth at the Mt. Vernon Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 3 P.M. You may make donations in Ruth''s honor to your favorite charity.Could she be with us, Ruth would wish all her friends to take good care of themselves, to keep thinking good thoughts, to have a drink, share a few laughs, and to come out and tell good friends how much they mean to you. May we celebrate her life by honoring those wishes.