Ruth Lenore Isobel Eatock

Ruth Lenore Isobel Eatock (née Purdon) was the beloved wife of Henry Clare Eatock (Clare; 1927-2020); mother of Brian Clare Eatock (Judy Keays), Ruth Anne Eatock (John Maunsell), and Lori Jane Forester (Gord Forfar); and grandmother of Alex and Ben Forester, Helen Ruth and James Clare Maunsell. Ruth was born on the eve of the Great Depression in Hockley, Ontario, to Lulu Irene (née Beatty) and John Lenvard Lee (‘Dutchy’) Purdon, who together managed a successful family farm. Ruth was the middle child, between older sister Orba and John, her beloved brother, who took over the farm and lives there still.

Ruth was a smart and lively girl who excelled at school. At 18, she took a position at Bell in Toronto, where she had a great time. One fateful evening she went skating and met a young aeronautical engineering student who invited her to a bridge game. Ruth and Clare wed on a hot June day in 1950 and for nearly 70 years built a rich life together: sharing in the mid-century boom, enjoying the friendship of neighbours and colleagues, raising three children and welcoming their life partners and the grandchildren.

Ruth and Clare lived in and near Toronto until 1968, then moved to St. Bruno on the south shore of Montreal. As her youngest child grew independent, Ruth was persuaded to join the school board, where she rose to Chair and South Shore representative at the provincial level. She loved the responsibility and challenges of policy development and people management. In 1995, Ruth and Clare retired and returned to Toronto, close to Lori and her family. They acquired a cottage with a beautiful sunset view on Muskoka’s Moon River, where strong family memories stretched back to Ruth’s childhood. The cottage brought family together every summer and still does.

Our mother was known for her strength, intelligence, and practical wisdom. She had a sense of mischief and a beautiful smile. We remember her love of holidays and birthdays, and how magical she made them. Her grandchildren recall the coziness of her kitchen and her habit of giving you her full attention. She was always a good listener; her counsel was sought by peers, neighbours, her kids and their friends, and even strangers on park benches. As our mother, she was loving, resolute, and sometimes a bit scary. She taught us to work hard, to pay attention to world affairs, to try to be good citizens, and to think of others.

Over her last decade or so, Ruth’s memory and capacity faded. Since 2018, she resided at Gibson Long-Term Care in North York, with Clare until he died in 2020. Ruth retained her core sociability to the end, taking joy from the attentions of her kind and patient caregivers, especially Rachel, Alma, and Dr. Williams. We are grateful for Gibson’s empathetic ministrations, which included years of weekly family Zooms because it ‘was good for Ruth to hear us’. They were also very good for us - a virtual happy place where we could enjoy her and each other, the family that she and Clare built.

No funeral is planned. Those who so wish may donate in Ruth’s memory to the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, www.aspenvalley.ca, which rehabilitates injured and orphaned wildlife, not far from her beloved cottage.