Ruth A Hayner

Ruth Hayner, age 78, passed away in Bellingham on March 25, 2021. Ruth is survived by her loving husband Denis, children Stephanie, Thompson and Michael, grandchildren Justus, Cory and Chris, brother Rick, and many loving cousins and friends.
Ruth was born in South Bend, Indiana on December 9, 1942 to Thompson Black Jr. and Katherine (Becker) Black. She grew up in Hollywood, California, where she attended St. Ambrose Elementary and Immaculate Heart High Catholic schools. She graduated from California State College at Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree in accounting in June 1965. She and Denis met in November 1964 and they were married in Los Angeles on September 4, 1965. They soon moved to the Boston, Massachusetts area, and lived there for thirty-two years.
Ruth loved family and looked forward to having her own. She was a fantastic mother, homemaker, a gourmet cook, the center of the family. She raised the children with wisdom and caring, always, always with love, smiling even when life was not easy.
She was a bright example of caring and compassion, never wanting credit or attention for the help that she gave to others. She took an elderly couple under her wing, taking Mrs. Dow shopping every week for her groceries, and then out to lunch. She was the one who took Mrs. McCance for her cancer treatments. She did those things because she genuinely enjoyed helping people. She did great things by doing small things with great love.
She also had a fun loving side, and was very gregarious. It wasn't surprising to find Ruth talking to strangers like she knew them for a long time. She seemed to have a certain charismatic spark that made people feel at ease with her. Ruth always thought of other people first, and had a genuine humility.
When the kids were older, she held short-term jobs as a bank teller and as an electronics assembler, had several volunteer jobs at the local hospital including auxiliary board member, and was a member of the board of the local elderly women’s home. After Denis’ retirement in 1998, the couple moved to the Pacific Northwest. They loved sharing time with their grown children and watching the grandsons grow from tots to young adults, all three having graduated from college by 2021. They enjoyed visiting foreign countries from the British Isles, France and Italy to China, Japan and Turkey.
Ruth was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2008. Thanks to her good nature, and the wonderful support and friendships at Dementia Support Northwest, the journey was not too difficult in the early years, but eventually led a memory care home. Ruth was kindly cared for by the staff of The Bellingham at Orchard and was content with life there for six years.
Donations may be made in Ruth’s memory to Dementia Support Northwest (formerly Alzheimer Society of WA), Bellingham, WA.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held at Church of the Assumption. Share memories with the family at www.westfordfuneralhome.com .