ForeverMissed
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In loving memory of Ruth

With great sadness, we said goodbye to Ruth in late 2020 when she passed from Alzheimer's disease. We take heart in the fact that she lived a full life of 80 wonderful years and was able to be active until her very last months. We are proud of the joyful and exuberant life she led, the legacy she achieved in her career, her love for nature and so many other things. It is hard to imagine our lives going forward without her, but indeed her spirit is with all of us. 

She is survived by her husband Roger Phillips, her two daughters Robin Phillips Occhipinti, and Carol Phillips,  granddaughter Emmy,  and her brother George Brosi.
October 25, 2023
October 25, 2023
Thank you for posting a memory and tribute, it means a lot to us to hear how she touched your life as well.
June 21, 2023
June 21, 2023
Remembering you today. I miss you.
March 26, 2023
March 26, 2023
Ruth was an inspiring example, friend, and mentor during my career in fish genetics/genomics. 
April 21, 2022
April 21, 2022
It is with great sadness that Chuck (Wimpee) and I just learned that Dr. Ruth Phillips died in 2020. 
I consider myself one of the most fortunate people to have worked on FISH (fluorecent in situ hybridization) with Ruth Phillips. I have amazing memories of working with Ruth as she was a phenomenal person and brilliant microscopist. I was so lucky to have spent long hours with her alone where she would talk the entire time, mixing science with almost unbelievable stories of her life. She was a warrior for women and could relate to barriers thrown at her throughout her career. 
When she decided she and her husband, Roger, needed a fresh start as he had just retired, she moved her entire operation to Vancouver, Washington. There she continued to do bench work, receive grants, and publish numerous papers. 
All of this, while showing that she had such perception of balance as she swam every day at the Shorewood pool, was active in master gardening, and was always planning to join any bird-watching event. I will deeply miss her. She touched my heart.

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Recent Tributes
October 25, 2023
October 25, 2023
Thank you for posting a memory and tribute, it means a lot to us to hear how she touched your life as well.
June 21, 2023
June 21, 2023
Remembering you today. I miss you.
March 26, 2023
March 26, 2023
Ruth was an inspiring example, friend, and mentor during my career in fish genetics/genomics. 
Her Life

Celebrating Ruth's Life

August 10, 2021
-Born 1940, Rhode Island
-In her early years she lived in the states of Illinois and Tennessee and spent most of her childhood in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and graduated from ORHS in 1958.
-She earned her BA in Biology at Swarthmore College in 1962
-Then she went on to earn her MA at University of Indiana in 1964 and her PhD at University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1966, which was notable for a woman in the field of science at that time. 
-Married Roger in 1966. 
-First daughter Robin born in 1973. 
-Ruth enjoyed a 31 year career at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, teaching and sharing her knowledge with thousands of students, and securing grants for research in Salmonid Genetics. 
-Second daughter Carol born in 1976.
-She authored and co-authored over 100 published articles, enjoyed an international reputation- traveling and giving talks at conferences all over the world including Europe, Japan, Australia, and Chile. 
https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Ruth-B-Phillips-39685335
-Between 2001-2015, she joined the Biology department faculty at Washington State University-Vancouver and continued her writing and research. 
-50 year wedding anniversary with Roger in 2016.
-A Certified Master Gardener and long-standing member of many environmental organizations including Audubon Society and Sierra Club.
-In her retirement years, Ruth continued her legacy as as a volunteer on the Board of the Naturescaping Garden, at Master Gardeners events, at the Ridgefield Wildlife Sanctuary Long House, and led Audubon Society bird count hikes, in addition to supporting a variety of other organizations.
-An avid hiker and nature lover, she visited hundreds of state parks, national parks and wildlife refuges in her lifetime.
-A great music lover, Ruth played piano and participated in choirs throughout her life.

Recent stories
April 12, 2022
"Of birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing."

~ Mary Elizabeth Frye


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