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Note: Ruth Evangeline Hill was born on August 13, 1903 to Mabel and Charles Bryarly of Spokane. She died at Whidbey General Hospital on March 26, 1985 of a massive heart attack.
Her girlhood was spent amidst the wild beauty of Colorado and eastern Washington, and it must have been there that her love of nature was sparked, for she treasured nature and all living things throughout her life.
Her family was of modest means, and with many brothers and sisters, Ruth fell heir to duties requiring hard work, hardship and sacrifice without complaint, traits she bore with grace into womanhood.
Early in her independence, Ruth attended Cheney Normal School for 2 years, receiving her teaching certificate. She taught school in Elk and Usk, Washington, to Indian children in the Okanogan country, where she shared a run-down shack with another young woman and an occasional rattlesnake.
Ruth worked for many years for the U.S. Government in federal service, from the harsh landscape of Point Barrow, to Eilson Air Force Base in Anchorage, Ladd Field in Fairbanks, and finally, her last job before retiring, at Seattle's VA Hospital.
It was in Alaska that she met and married Marcus Hill in 1947. She and Marcus homesteaded outside Fairbanks for a short time before leaving Alaska for Seattle.
After Mark's death in 1969, and her subsequent retirement, Ruth moved to Whidbey Island, a spot she was captivated by during her visits with her step-daughter, Eileen, and her family. From her waterside home, she enjoyed the changing tides of Penn Cove and the distant Olympic Mountains. Her daily beach walks with her pet miniature Schnauzer and beloved companion, Mary O'Barry, helped keep Ruth physically sound and spiritually serene.
Her "kids" , as she called them, no matter their grown-up ages, are her step-children, Mark Hill and Eileen Brown. They regarded Ruthie as "Mom" and with their family members--Mark's wife, T.J., Eileen's husband, Darrell; and her grandchildren, Mark and Rene Hill and Marcus Gene Cushway, a network of love and support was built that occasionally surprised this independent lady who never feared going into the future alone, but relished each day all the more for the company.
She hadn't been ill, and her sudden death is even more stunning as the last memory is of her eagerness to get home to tend her lillies.
Ruth loved painting, collecting agates at Ebey Beach, and filling her home with music and the smell of a new recipe. Her favorite hobby was people: a friend who needed a ride to town, saving the crossword puzzle for a neighbor, or sending a card to someone who might otherwise be forgotten.
She made telephone calls to remind members of the next Christian Women's Club luncheon; prepared sandwiches for the Street Kids program; it was her number you called to start the North Whidbey Prayer Vine for Unity of Whidbey, and she was an active member of the church who believed in purpose and growth. Every Sunday, she'd attend Unity at Langley with Sunny Hanson and Howard and Carla Teakell, her good friends.
She believed in living the way Jesus Christ wanted her to, and daily asked for his strength and guidance. Her notes to herself on a kitchen pad reveal how she found something to be joyful for, even on the darkest days.
Ruth loved to sing, "Let There Be Peace on Earth" as she held hands with her friends each Sunday..."Let me walk with my brother, in perfect harmony...".
To Ruth Hill, peace on earth, in the unique way she brought it to her corner of the world, really did begin within her. He example touched her children, her loving friends and those who met her only once. She was an angel who completed her earthly task. We all will miss her...until we meet again.
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