Ruth (Johnson) Weber, 98, of Academy Point at Mystic, died peacefully on Jan. 22, 2013, at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, after a long and wonderful life.
She was born in Chicago, on Feb. 27, 1914, to the late Edna (Holland) Johnson and George Wilfred Johnson and married William "Bill" Lloyd Weber Jr., on June 7, 1940, in Pocatello, Idaho. Bill passed away on March 11, 1997.
Ruth received a teaching certificate from the Southern Branch of the University of Idaho, in Pocatello, in 1934. She taught elementary school in Rexburg and Pocatello before settling down with her husband in St. Anthony, where their three children were born. Her family then moved to Rexburg and then in 1952, to Preston, Idaho. She worked at J.C. Penney as a cashier and order clerk in Preston, where she lived until 2002. She then moved to Connecticut to be near her children and grandchildren who lived on the east coast.
Ruth was a member of P.E.O. for 69 years in three different chapters, L in St. Anthony, Idaho, U in Logan, Utah, and AH in East Lyme. P.E.O. is an international philanthropic organization that supports education for women. She also enjoyed gardening, cooking, sewing, and reading and was a member of a literary club in Preston, Idaho for many years. She was a passionate basketball fan, first of the Utah Jazz and later, the Boston Celtics. Ruth was a woman of faith, and she and her husband, Bill, helped organize and establish the Preston Presbyterian Community Church of Preston, Idaho. She was an Ordained Elder and volunteered in Presbyterian churches in St. Anthony, Rexburg, Preston, and was a member of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Groton, when she died.
Ruth was predeceased by her brothers and their wives; son, Wilfred "Fred" Johnson Weber, who died in 1966; and granddaughter, Suzanne M. Weber, who died Jan. 7, 2013.
She is survived by her son, William "Bill" Weber and wife, Musette, of Virginia Beach, Va.; her daughter, Ann Whitlatch and husband, Robert, of Mystic; and grandchildren, William "Bill" Weber of Virginia Beach, Hilary Whitlatch of Providence, and Morgan Whitlatch and husband, Jon Widrick, of Silver Spring, Md. Other survivors include extended family and friends who had the privilege of knowing Ruth.
A memorial service is planned in the spring in Connecticut and in the summer in Preston, Idaho. Appropriate announcements will be made.
The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff of Academy Point at Mystic, the staff of Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, and the staff of Hospice Southeastern Connecticut for their excellent care, concern, and support of Ruth.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to a church or charity of your choice , or to the Preston Presbyterian Community Church, PO Box 23, Preston, ID 83263, where a memorial is planned.
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