Nicola "Ruth" Juliet Quinto

Nicola Juliet Quinto (née Murray) was born December 28, 1941 to Richard Brian Murray & Esther Catharine Murray in Gloucestershire, England, the youngest of four siblings: Diana, Yoey and Richard. She would later prefer to be called, and became known as, Ruth.

At a young age, Nicola moved with her family to Stellenbosch, in Cape Town, South Africa, where she was raised, riding ponies on the Veldt with her brother and sisters. She returned to London, where her sisters were already living in the 1960s, and attended sixth form college for young women. Nicola soon determined that there was more to life than social standing and class.

Circa 1969, Nicola would meet Stephen Quinto, an American pilot living on a houseboat on the Thames River, and marry him within the year. Nicola became wife and cohort, companion and confidante in all respects to Stephen. They would remain married for the rest of their lives, celebrating more than 53 years together.

Within the first nine years, Nicola and Stephen had four sons in three different countries – Seth and Jesse in England, United Kingdom; Theo in Lugano, Switzerland; and Benjamin in Miami, Florida, USA. And it wasn’t just her own four sons, Nicola extended her love to Stephen’s three daughters: Robin, Lisa and Sharon. Although not their birth mother, she made it known that these were “her daughters,” embracing them with kindness, compassion, knowledge and love.

After their first two children were born in the UK, Nicola and Stephen moved to Jamaica and built a resort named Tensing Pen in Negril.

Not long after, the family moved back to England, and then through Italy and Switzerland, where their third child was born, eventually settling in Miami, birthplace of the fourth and final child. During this period, Stephen would own and operate several air cargo and passenger airlines, most notably Northeastern International Airways in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Nicola would always take on the accounting needs of whichever enterprise her entrepreneurial husband Stephen undertook. Whether aviation in the UK or USA, hospitality in Jamaica, residential property rehabilitations in Spain, or natural health products in the USA, Nicola was always Treasurer.

Keeping the books and running a household full of not just family, but the many that were drawn to this captivating couple, were feats in and of themselves. But Nicola always sought to better the lives of those in her family, while her husband was always driving business ideas. She would practice yoga, grow gardens, play the piano, and consult a book called Natural Healing when looking after her family’s wellness. At the age of 49, she quit smoking and read a book that changed her life forever: Diet for a New America by John Robbins. Soon after, only vegetarian food would be served at home.

Nicola led the charge towards health and Stephen would have to comply, becoming at first vegetarians, then vegan, then raw foodists (no animal products, nor cooked food). It was a pivotal moment when Nicola discovered the farmer’s market in Coconut Grove in Miami, exposing her to communities of people who had cured themselves through nutrition and natural medicine. Adventures in natural health further evolved from there.

Nicola and Stephen aspired to live closer to nature, just as they launched Natural Immunogenics Corp. in 1999, which sold a unique form of colloidal silver Stephen had pioneered, called Sovereign Silver.

While the company grew, so did Nicola’s and Stephen’s desire to step back and pursue their connection with nature. For years they warned they were soon leaving to build a self-sustaining home far away from modern society, where humans might reconnect with their ultimate purpose. The intention set a blueprint for what became Edenhope, an 800-acre nature preserve and eco-village the two established in Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, in 2010. Through the process, Nicola would reclaim the name “Ruth”, given to her many years previously in Jamaica.

The next chapter of Ruth’s & Stephen’s lives began when most couples would normally decide to retire. Over twelve years they would develop this Garden of Eden (and other lands on the island), welcoming like-minded people who wished to participate in their vision of a world without violence (the principle of “ahimsa”, often spoken about by one of Ruth’s heroes, the great Mahatma Gandhi).

In early 2022, Ruth and Stephen returned to Florida to spend time with their sons and address medical care needs. Stephen passed away on August 18, 2022. Six months later, on February 17, 2023, Ruth passed away.

Nicola “Ruth” Quinto is survived by her sister Diana, her sons Seth Quinto, Jesse Quinto, Theo Quinto, Benjamin Quinto, her daughters Robin Akdeniz, Lisa Quinto and Sharon Clifford, and her grandchildren Rebecca, Caroline, Paul, Sarah, Anabelle, Tommy and Fiona.

A memorial service for Ruth will be held Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 3:00 PM at Robert Toale and Sons Funeral Home at Palms Memorial Park, 170 Honore Ave, Sarasota, FL 34232, followed by a gathering from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Service will be Livestreamed join by clicking link below.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmsrobartsfuneralhome.com for the Quinto family.