Ruth Vaiden

Ruth Ella Vaiden, 83, of Glen Allen passed away on February 10, 2026 at Henrico Doctors Hospital, Richmond. She is survived by her niece, JoAnna B. Hughes (Billy) ; great niece, Brittany S.Lowe (Kyle); and great-great nephew, Hawk Sterling Lowe; and a host of loving friends and colleagues. She was born in Petersburg, Virginia and was preceded in death by her parents Ernest G. and Ruby D. Vaiden and sister Patricia V. Birdsong (Sterling).



Ruth attended East Carolina University and was a graduate of Johnson Willis Hospital School of Nursing. Her lifelong vocation was in surgical nursing. After graduation from Nursing School, Ruth worked for three years in surgical nursing at Southside Regional Medical Center, Petersburg and was Director of Neurosurgical Nursing for Neurosurgical Associates in Richmond for over 20 years. She served as Director of Surgical Services at Health South Medical Center for several years and retired from Advance Orthopedics, Richmond after holding the same position there for a number of years. After retiring, Ruth continued working part-time as a nurse/consultant advising medical practices on renewing accreditations.



Ruth was very active in state and national Nursing Organizations and earned multiple awards during her career. In 1985-1986, she served as President of the National Association of Operating Room Nurses and was President of the AORN Foundation in the early 2000's. She published and edited multiple professional works, and spoke both nationally and internationally. Ruth was well respected for her professionalism, expertise, and ability.



A Celebration of Life will be held on March 4th at 11 am at Hunton Baptist Church , 1660 Greenwood Road, Glen Allen, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the AORN Foundation, 2170 South Parker Road, Denver, CO 80231 or online at www.aorn.org/foundation ; Hunton Baptist Church; or a charity of your choice.