Ruth Elizabeth Hennessey, after 97 years of love, laughter, hard work, generosity and faith journeyed to the Spirit World on January 15, 2017. She died of old age, at her home in West Bath. Born in Bath, the daughter of Walter True Brown and Madelyn Hunt Brown, she lived most of her life at the Brown’s saltwater farm in West Bath.

Dedicated to her family, Ruth also participated in community life as a member of the West Bath Grange, the West Bath PTA, The Choral Arts Society, and the Democratic Party. She volunteered at the soup kitchens in Brunswick and Bath. She was a member of the Bath United Church of Christ, serving on the Good Samaritan team, in the church choir, and participating in the Shawl Knitting Life Circle.

Ruth was an excellent cook, working for many years as the baker for the Bath Memorial Hospital food service, and later serving as chef and manager of the Bath Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Coffee Shop. She also worked as a teacher aide at the Elmhurst Center.

In summer, Ruth lived by the tide. No matter how pressed with work at home and away, she always made time to take the kids swimming. She herself swam in Mill Cove daily until she was 95. As an elder, she spent hours in the swing under the maple tree, reading, and when her eyesight failed, praying. In winter, she sledded and skated with her children, and in turn, with her grandchildren. She enjoyed shoveling the snow off the deck until her 96th year.

She was a reader who conveyed a love of reading to her children and grandchildren, reading “Cinderella” and “The Old Woman Who Lived in the Vinegar Bottle” countless times to her granddaughters.

Ruth was predeceased by her husband William J. Hennessey Sr., by a daughter, Ruth, who died in childhood, and by all 6 of her brothers and sisters. She leaves nine children and their spouses, William Jr. (Janet), Rita Losee, Richard, (Susan Faraji), Madelyn, Sarah, James (Mary), Michael, (Juanita Wilson), David (Joyce), and Gerald (Joanne Hall). She is survived by 22 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren, and a host of beloved nieces and nephews who gather at the family farm yearly.

Ruth was an extraordinary woman who lived an ordinary life. The world is a lesser place for her absence.

A Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of Ruth Hennessey will be held at Grace Episcopal Church in Bath on January 28, at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, kindly donate to the Neighborhood Café, 798 Washington Street, Bath, Maine 04530, or to CHANS Hospice, 60 Baribeau Drive, Brunswick, Maine 04011.