Ruth Victoria (Ramos) Littlefield of Provincetown passed away peacefully on September 6, 2014 at Seashore Point in Provincetown, after a brief illness.
Ruth was born in Provincetown on March 23, 1918 in the house she lived in until her passing. She was the daughter of the late Joseph Seth and Mary Agnes (Jason) Ramos. She spent her childhood navigating from the front seat of her father’s busses that were piloted up and down Commercial Street by her brothers. It was a two-way street then with few bicycles!
In 1936 she met a handsome young midshipman who was in port aboard the Massachusetts Maritime Academy ship, Nantucket. They developed an eternal bond that was not broken by the untimely death of Lt. Cmdr. Nathan Whitman Littlefield and the tender age of 52. Their love and devotion served as an inspiration for their two sons: Nathan Whitman Littlefield of Provincetown and Dr. Charles P. Littlefield of Bedford, N.H., both of whom celebrate their mother and father now reunited.
In addition to her sons, she is survived by several grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren. She is predeceased by her two brothers, Joseph Manual Ramos and George Sherman Ramos and a sister Ellen Kelly Ramos.
Ruth could sell anything! She boasted of a successful sales career in women’s wear for Filenes in Boston and Braintree. Into her eighties she manned the counter of Gene’s Bakery and Whaler’s Wharf.
Doce (a name given to her by her father meaning “sweet” in Portuguese) loved her home town. She was a unique source of Provincetown’s oral history when it was a quiet fishing village and artist colony. She loved to be interviewed and to share her recollections of the most beautiful place on earth.
She was proud of her Portuguese lineage and the sacrifices her family made. Both her grandfathers were rugged fishermen from the Azores who were lost at sea.
In her later years, her talents as a poet were unleashed. She was a prolific writer of thought-provoking sonnets about growing up in the West End and of the ironies of life. Ruth was a frequent guest at a variety of poetry readings in which she delivered her creations as only she could.
By admission, Ruth was “feisty” and a bit flamboyant when she wanted to be. She will be remembered as someone who could truly be called “her own person,” a natural leader, and someone who was self-reliant through much of the second half of her life, especially after the death of her husband.
A Funeral Service will take place at 10:00 am, Saturday, September 13th in the Monsignor Duarte Chapel located at St. Peter the Apostle Cemetery in Provincetown. All are invited. In keeping with her wishes, burial will be private. If desired, memorial contributions in her honor may be made to St. Peter the Apostle Church 11 Prince St. Provincetown, MA 02657 or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105 or on line at www.StJude.org.