RUTH SILEN

SILEN, Ruth (Heppner) Age 92 of Dedham, formerly of Newton and Weston, passed away peacefully on May 4, 2020 at NewBridge on the Charles. She was the beloved wife of 73 years of Dr. William Silen of Dedham; loving mother of Dr. Deborah A. Silen of Newton, Dr. Mark L. Silen and his wife Dallas Piana of Oregon, and the late Stephen A. Silen; mother-in-law of Pirjo Silen and Mitchell Hurley; sister of the late Ann Friedman; grandmother of David J. Silen and his wife Nicole Yebba Silen of Middleton, Emma K. Silen and her husband Michael Kuehn of Bedford, NH, and Gretchen M. Silen of Paauilo , HI and Lake Oswego, OR; doting great-grandmother of Ethan and Logan Silen-Kuehn, and Joseph Stephen Silen and Brynn Diane Silen; sister-in-law of Harriet Saltzman of San Jose, CA and Harold Silen of Larkspur, CA. Ruth touched everyone who met her with her kindness and caring. People were naturally drawn to her and described her as a person with warmth, generosity and dignity. She led a life of strength, courage and grace. From an early age, she was called to a life of service and giving, from volunteer work during World War II tracking airplane flights over the Pacific during her teens, to research on eye diseases after college while Bill was in medical school. In mid-life, she went to graduate school and got a degree in social work, and spent a decade working with patients and families on an orthopedic floor, helping them cope with the aftermath of complex surgical problems. Later in life, she was involved in many community volunteer efforts including the Weston-Wayland Interfaith Action Group and Facing History and Ourselves. Fundamentally, at the heart of her being, family was most important to her. Together with Bill, she raised three children, and was the proud grandmother of three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. In the late 1970s, through sheer determination, she helped bring to Boston the first three of many Russian cousins from her father-in-law's family, lost for decades after World War II. Ruth and Bill also shared themselves with a wider family of Bill's medical students, trainees and research fellows. They opened their home to generations of young people who often remained friends for decades. On the occasion of their 40th wedding anniversary celebration in 1987, Ruth wrote to her children and grandchildren: "For us we wish that we may continue loving, learning and exploring this world that we live in. For those of you who follow, we wish that the adventure of your own lives will be as wonderful for you as our adventure has been for us. May each of you at a time in the future have an occasion such as this at which moment you will look backward and forward, and will feel joy at what you see." Our family wishes to thank the doctors and staff at NewBridge on the Charles for their extraordinary and compassionate care of our mother Ruth for the past three years. Private funeral services were held. Remembrances may be made to Hebrew Rehab/NewBridge on the Charles, Temple Shalom of Newton, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center or Hebrew Free Loan Association of San Francisco Levine Chapels, Brookline 617-277-8300 www.levinechapel.com