Ruth A Hunt

Ruth Anne (McCrillis) Hunt, age 94 a longtime resident of Dover, NH passed away from a brief illness on Sunday, February 8, 2015, at the home of her daughter, Catherine Judd in DeSoto, Texas.

Throughout her life, Ruth Anna Hunt lived by the Christian principles of unconditional love, compassion, forgiveness, selflessness and heartfelt giving to those around her. In her own, gentle way, she shared those values with everyone she encountered; whether family, friends, colleagues or strangers.

Ruth was born on May 25, 1920 in Kearny, New Jersey, the beloved daughter of Charles Nathaniel and Jennie Van Heyson McCrillis. They subsequently moved to West Medford, Massachusetts. Her father served as Postmaster on the Boston and Maine Railroad, and her mother, during a time when most women did not work outside the home or pursue advanced degrees, graduated from Drexel University later working as the Director of Nutritional Services for the Boston School System. An older brother, Harry Heyson McCrillis pre-deceased Ruth as a child in Keene, NH on June 1st, 1917.

She grew up on Allston Street in West Medford, Massachusetts with a group of neighborhood friends, later nicknamed "The Roundabouts" who sustained and nurtured their circle of friendship throughout their entire lives. She was active in her church, girl scouts, and at age 14 through a program at her West Medford Methodist Church, developed a network of penpals in Oregon, Seattle, Tennessee, the Philippines and England, that were to become lifelong friends.

Ruth graduated from West Medford High School in 1938, and completed a business administration program at then Fisher College in Boston. Following graduation from Fisher and on the eve of World II, Ruth moved to Washington D.C. to work for the War Department. She transferred back to Boston with the Department of the Navy when critical government activities were moved out of Washington.

It was during the war at a church function in Boston that she met William Warren ("Bill") Hunt of Osawatomie, Kansas who was serving in the US Coast Guard. They married in Medford, Massachusetts on November 30, 1945, and remained together for 60 years until Bill's death in 2005. Ruth & Bill moved from West Medford, and lived and worked for a short period of time at St. Andrews School in Barrington, Rhode Island before finally settling in 1948 on their Cranberry Meadow Rd. farm in Berwick, Maine where they lived until 1968 when they made their final move to their Hickory Hill Farm on Back Road in Dover.

Ruth worked as a substitute teacher in the Berwick school system beginning in 1958, and later became the Administrative Secretary to the superintendent of schools for Berwick and SAD #60. She retired in 1979. She valued lifelong, continuing education, and while raising a family and working full time she pursued a master's degree at the University of New Hampshire. Following her retirement, she and Bill travelled extensively throughout the U.S. and in Europe. They were active participants in Elder Hostel, now known as Road Scholar. Ruth always described herself as having an "itchy foot".

Ruth's greatest joy was found in her family and faith. She and Bill took pride in their home, farm, and their land, working hard and oftentimes struggling and sacrificing themselves to provide a place of abundance and land that would provide for all of their children and grandchildren to love, work and appreciate as did they .
In the 1950's, while living in Berwick, they opened their home and farm for numerous, homeless foster children. During one summer they became involved with hosting inner city children through the "Fresh Air Program" in New York City. In addition, through her church she ministered to a number of shut-in elderly, who lived alone or had no family, making sure they were remembered on special occasions, and carrying forth her own church ministry. Ruth's children remember "Aunt Mamie" as one of these special elders.

In all of this, she taught her family to share God's blessings and abundance with an open heart.

Ruth cherished her family near and far; her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, in-laws, extended family and friends. She loved to cook and took great joy in gathering together around the table for dinner on a Sunday afternoon, or celebrating birthdays and other special occasions. She was an accomplished birthday cake decorator and sought to create each child's birthday cake with special themes whether for her young grandchildren or adults, each cake was special. One of her favorite hobbies was preserving jams, jellies and other delicacies from her garden. She exhibited for a number of years at the Rochester Fair where she took top honors with blue ribbons and the "Best of Show Award". Christmas gifts always included a special assortment of favorite condiments, jams, jellies and pickles.

Ruth was a member of St. Thomas' Episcopal Church in Dover, NH for the past 65 years and raised her family there. In more recent years during winters spent in Florida she was a faithful communicant at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Dade City. More recently she attended St. Anne Episcopal Church in DeSoto, Texas. Over the years she taught Sunday school, served on the altar guild, was active in St. Margaret's Guild, worked on the church fair from its inception and on the Thrift Shop. She was a member and past Worthy Matron of the Sarah Orne Jewett Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star and leader of the Dover chapter of TOPS. She and Bill were also longtime members of the Beaver Dam Grange in North Berwick, Maine.

Although her husband Bill passed away in 2005, Ruth continued with her lifelong passion for learning and travel with two trips to Alaska, the Canadian Rockies by Rail, Nova Scotia, and for her 90th birthday a two week river cruise from Amsterdam to Vienna.

During the past four years while living for the majority of time with her daughter in DeSoto Texas, she was active at the Friend's Place Day program in Desoto, enjoying music programs, cooking, handcrafts, chair yoga and afternoon bingo not to mention regularly attending special performances of the Dallas Symphony and Dallas Wind Symphony.

She was a loyal and true friend to all, even sustaining her girlhood pen pal relationships in Europe and the US through the years.

Ruth is survived by her three children; Catherine Hunt Judd of DeSoto, TX, William C. Hunt and Gregory W. Hunt of Dover NH; and her foster-daughter Shirley Thompson Silvestre, of Berwick, ME; five grandchildren; Christopher W. Hunt, Matthew J. P. Hunt, Joshua G. Hunt, Heather R. Hunt, Ian C. Hunt all of Dover, NH; and Letitia (Silvestre) Cauchon of Somersworth; two great-grandsons: Samuel William Hunt and Maxwell Hunt of Dover, NH.; and great-granddaughter Emily Cauchon of Somersworth, NH.

Though our memories are full of Ruth's loving presence, example and teaching, our hearts are heavy with her passing and she will be missed. Another of the "Greatest Generation" has passed.

A memorial service will be held on March 7, 2015, 1pm at St. Anne Episcopal Church, DeSoto, TX.

A memorial service with interment of cremains will be held at 11AM on May 23, 2015 at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, in Dover NH.

In lieu of flowers, offerings in Ruth's memory should be made to St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, Dover, NH.