Ruth Jordan Coombs

In Ruth I met a very tough lady who always said "Hi!" to the life. She impressed me by her energy and her will to enjoy every moment which was given to her. Beside her even me got a little more power. Her good straight character let her raise such three wonderful children like Terry, Roy and Harold. In their personalities lives the kindness of Ruth.
Ruth took a lot of care to all the family members. Proudly I tell my little one stories of her beeing. We will never forget her, and we miss her so much.
Sleep well, Ruth, we love you.

A sweet, wonderful aunt, who always had a smile on her face. Aunt Ruth will be missed by all who knew her. Love, Patty

Mom was a very special person. A woman of incredible strength and will to live. She stayed home with her 2 children, my brother Roy and I, until we were both about to graduate high school. She had another child, Harold at the age of 40. She started a career of painting homes and hanging wall paper part time and then, when Harold started grammar school, she started working full time at Tracy's. A career that she worked at until the age of 70. She took great pride in her work and it showed by the many people that would request her to do their work and not some other member of the crew. She did not get her driver's license until she was in her 40's. But once she had her license, she continued driving until she was 83. Once retired, she took many trips with her family. She did the "west coast loop" Colorado, Pacific Coast Highway, Las Vegas, and Grand Canyon with her brother Freddy and his family. She took many trips with her son Harold and me and our families. We went to Yellowstone, Branson, Custer, Washington DC, and Disney. She took several bus trips with her friend Gloria, going to Nashville and Graceland. Mother was tough. During her 70's, she was dancing, traveling, attending suppers, and loving life. Shortly after turning 80, mother suffered a heart attack. But again, in downeast yankee no nonsense fashion, she drove herself to her doctor. She even made another trip to Florida to visit family after her heart attack. Her mind remained sharp but her body continued to deteriorate. After being diagnosed with diabetes in her early 50's, it wasn't until age 80 that she had to start using insulin. Her final year, her kidneys failed and she had to be on dialysis. Through it all, she remained upbeat and fought to live. I will always remember her amazing will to live. The doctors wrote her off several times and were constantly amazed at her recovery.
It is not the big things that will be remembered. It will be the little things: hiding cookies for me so that my brother wouldn't eat them all, making me eggnog when I was sick, the smile on her face when her great granddaughter Lily gave her a hug, and her pride in her grandson Rob's financial custom sense.
I am and shall miss my mother very much. Rest in peace.

For those of you who have not heard, my mother passed away this morning. She had experienced a series of health problems since her heart attack 3 years ago, but had came through each one until last week's. She was 83 years old.
I am posting this picture of my magnolia tree because she used to tell me each spring how much she loved to see it as she drove up the driveway.
My mother was a remarkable woman. She was one of 7 siblings. She became a nurse and loved to tell me that she worked on the OB ward in Boston for a period of time in training. She and my father moved to Virginia when he was in the army and while there they had Roy and then Terry.
Sometime long before I was born(I think while Roy and Terry were still toddlers) they moved back to Maine.
Ma stayed home taking care of the kids while Dad worked. I am not sure how often, or when she started, but she did some wallpapering on the side.
Imagine Ma's surprise when she found out she was pregnant and delivered me a little over a month after her 40th birthday!
We moved to Trenton when I was 3, and she began working some at Tracy's Paintshop in Northeast Harbor with my father. Being the only woman on the crew was not commonplace then. She quickly earned a reputation for being a hard worker with a meticulous eye for details and for not putting up with shenanigans. She took great pride in her ability to match paints by eye and for wallpapering some very difficult places. She worked there until she was 70 years old.
They say life begins at 40, but for Ma, it began again at 70! She began to travel, socialize more and seemed to be invigorated. In the summer of 1998, she traveled with me to New Hampshire and hiked Mt Washington at the age of 66. It is one of our most treasured shared experiences.
Ma was a fountain of knowledge. She tought me how to sew and use her sewing machine. She tought me about plumbing, painting, wallpapering, and building. I remember, sitting in McDonald's in Brewer telling her that I wanted to build a "great big table" for our entire family to fit around. She told me how it was supposed to be done and some of the difficulties I would have. Then I came up with the idea of building it by using techniques I knew, namely how to build s deck, she listened, and said,"well, I don't see why that wouldn't work." Sure enough a short while later I had done it. I knew she was proud when she said,"You have done such a good job, why don't I put the stain on for you so it will look just as good?"
I know this is long and these are just a few of the memories. But I just wanted to share a bit of what made her special.
Thanks for all the words of support and always remember to tell your loved ones you love them.

I met Ruth, first at the Baptist church in Franklin with Sonny. Then I took care of a couple of her family, along with my son and Tammy. Then she would come to the suppers at the grange hall in Franklin. It did not start until 5:30, but she was there at 4 so that she would have a good place to sit. She did that every supper I saw her at outside the grange suppers. She was always good to me and we talked and laughed together. My most sympathy to the family. Always, Lillian Leighton

Very sorry for your loss, may her memories bring you comfort.

Ruth was such a nice lady. I have always considered her one of my Aunts. I always tried to see her when I was in Maine. She will be missed...

Grammy was a wonderful person. I have many great memories of her. She was always involved in what was going on at the time. I often tell people that when the family would undertake large projects, such as building a house, she would be out their on a ladder in her 60's pounding in nails. She was always involved and if she was capable of doing it, she was going to help, period! As Harold mentioned, Grammy went on many trips later in life. I remember sharing a room with her in a condo our families rented one vacation. We had some of the best conversations ever during that time. She even came to Florida when my daughter Lily was around 2. Grammy was a hugger unlike most of our family and I loved to see her smile each time Lily would give her a hug. Back in Maine, she would go to dances and hang out with the ladies each morning at the local coffee shop. She really did enjoy the later years of her life. While it is sad to see her move on, it is at least comforting to know she left us happy and did not have to endure any lengthy pain or hardship in her later years. Good Bye Grammy, you will be missed.

We are so sorry to hear about the passing of your Mom. We are keeping you all in our positive thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.