Mom was originally christened Addie Ruth Foster. She hated the name Addie, saying she was never going to be anyone's "Aunt Addie," so she always went by the name Ruth, her mother's middle name.

I remember Mom for three things; soap operas on tv, books, and quilt making. She was always doing one or the other. One of my earliest memories is of Mom reading the Sunday comics to me. I soon realized that, on some pages, there were four comic strips and Mom was only reading three! I have always claimed I taught myself to read so I could find out what she was skipping (Mary Worth, for what it matters!).

As the first born, and a daughter, Mom was brought up with the understanding that she was never to marry. It was her obligation to stay at home and care for her parents in their old age. That was the way it was done -- so she was told. But Mom had other ideas.

It wasn't easy growing up in rural Arkansas in the 20s and hungry 30s. Grandpa Foster was a farmer, but not a steady farmer. Mom managed to graduate from high school and ended up teaching grade school for a couple of years. Then, she won an appointment from President Franklin Roosevelt to the position of Post Master at Delaney, Arkansas. That was a plumb job, one that set her up as independent of her father.

Shortly after Pearl Harbor, and the declaration of war, Mom resigned her post in order to move to Witchita, Kansas, and work in the post office there. She was determined to do her part in the war effort. While here, she attended business school at night. I think my sisters still have her text books.

A couple of years later, Mom went to work at Boeing building B-29s. That was where she met Dad, as I detailed on his page. Whether it was love at first sight or not, I don't know. But I know when Mom knew Dad was her life-mate.

Serious quilters are well aware of "quilters' wart," a hard callus on the index finger. Mom had one. One night, Dad took her hand and said, "I love everything about you but this here wart." The next day the wart was gone and never returned! True story, got it from my mom.

Theirs was a traditional marriage; Dad worked and Mom managed the house and bills. That Dad's work necessitated many relocations was a shock and strain on Mom but she adapted. There were many towns in Wyoming, Oregon and California where they lived.

Was Mom happy? Its a fair question for a child to ask who never bothered to get to know the woman inside the mother. I think so. She avoided having to take care of her parents as an old maid (that fell to her younger sister who was a widow). She had a man who loved her and whom she loved. For her generation, she had achieved all that was expected. Yes, she was happy.

Her last two years were spent battling cancer. The last thing she said was to Marge as Mom went in for surgery to remove a kidney, "Well, kid, we've had some fun, haven't we?" Rest in Peace, Mom.