Ruthmary was born in Pittsburgh on March 2, 1921, and grew up in Toledo, Ohio where she achieved the then highest award in Girl Scouts, the Golden Eaglet.She graduated from The College of Wooster in 1942 and lived in the Chicago area during and after World War II, where she worked as a regional administrator for the Girl Scouts, and met and married her husband, Harold, a Navy veteran and electronics engineer.While living in Waukegan, Illinois in the early 1950s, Ruthmary, along with other members of the American Association of University Women, co-founded that city’s first nursery school.

Ruthmary, her husband and two sons moved to Ann Arbor in 1955 where she later obtained Master’s degrees in Education and Library Science from The University of Michigan.Following her husband’s death in 1963, Ruthmary worked as a school teacher and librarian, and had a long career as a medical records librarian for Washtenaw County Community Mental Health.She was also an original member of Temple Beth Emeth, Ann Arbor’s first reform Jewish synagogue, and acted as her college alumni class secretary for a number of years.At the time of her death, Ruthmary was a resident of Glacier Hills Senior Living Community.

Ruthmary had a lifelong love of learning and many interests and hobbies including children’s literature, classical and folk music, creative writing, camping, Elderhostel programs, yoga, swimming, Scrabble and crossword puzzles, natural foods cooking, and exploring and following a healthy lifestyle.