Palmer, Ruth C. Age 90. March 19, 2015. Beloved wife of the late Mack for 55 years. Loving mother of Cathy, Paula (Rick) Krzeczkowski, and Melissa (Paul) Montminy. Proud Grandma of Rachel (Kyle) Schmid, Mike Flemming, and Shannon Flemming; Chris Krzeczkowski and Laura (Trevor Long) Krzeczkowski; and Joseph (Brittany) Mullen, Sarah (Brian) Berris, Sean Flack, and Donovan Flack. Preceded in death by her grandson Matt Flemming. Survived by her great-granddaughter Ava Genevieve Berris and many friends, cousins, nieces, and nephews, including her best friend of many years, Barbara Busby. ******************************************************************************** Ruth Catherine (Allen) Palmer's Backstory January 11, 1925-March 19, 2015 http://preview.tinyurl.com/RuthPalmer-1-11-25 Ruth Catherine Palmer, née Allen, along with her twin brother, Darwin Eddy, was born on January 11, 1925, in Detroit, Michigan to Freda Evelyn (MacArthur) and Herman Pooler Allen. The twins were born prematurely and we are all convinced that they were kept alive by the sheer force of their mother's will (not to mention her professional training as a nurse). Ruth and Dar joined their sister, Mary Elizabeth Allen, who was five years older. Although they were American citizens, the family lived in Windsor, Ontario, where their father was a journalist for the Windsor Star newspaper. In 1937, Herman fulfilled a life-long dream of owning his own newspaper by purchasing a weekly newspaper in Riverside, Iowa and the family moved from Windsor to Iowa, where they lived for four years. Herman turned out to be a better writer than he was businessman. Although the paper was not a success financially, the years in Iowa were always fondly remembered in stories told throughout the years. There was the story of the typesetter who was great at his job until he went on one of his periodic benders. When this happened the family went into action. One faction went looking for the typesetter, and the other started the tedious process of setting the type so that the paper could come out on time. Mary Elizabeth was often pressed into service for this job. Because it was during the Depression, subscribers often paid by bringing in bushels of tomatoes, or other produce. Although barter may have kept the family fed, it didn't always pay the bills, so the family returned to Detroit in 1941, and Herman took a position as the editor of the feature page for the Detroit Free Press. Ruth and Dar were seniors in high school when they moved to Detroit. They attended Cooley High School, graduating in 1942. Cooley played a significant role in the life of the twins. Ruth was befriended by Dorothy Watson, who took the little country girl under her wing and introduced her to the sophisticated ways of city high schoolers. Dorothy caught Ruth's brother's eye, and Dar and Dorothy were married on XXXX. After graduating from Cooley High School, Ruth attended Wayne State University. Ruth pursued her interests in performance while at Wayne. In addition to her general education requirements, she took courses in dance and theater. She pursed extra-curricular activities in these areas as well, performing in theater productions and dance concerts. Not only did the theater provide an outlet for Ruth's artistic abilities, it provided her with a romantic interest as well. Ruth met handsome Mack Thomas Palmer, who was attending Wayne on the GI Bill, and who was also discovering his flair for drama and interest in the theater. Ruth had a practical side, so she ultimately graduated from Wayne with a teaching certificate. Mack and Ruth were married on June 18, 1948, and they began their life in Detroit together. Ruth worked as an elementary school teacher, while Mack taught drama and theater at Highland Park High School. They purchased their first, and only, home at 11732 Bramell in 1950, and their daughter, Catherine (Cathy) Sue, was born on June 9, 1951. Cathy was followed by Paula Mary, who came on April 1, 1954. Ruth returned to teaching after the birth of her first two daughters, who were lovingly cared for by their grandmother (Nana) and Aunt Mary. Ruth's third daughter, Melissa Abigail, was born on February 12, 1967. Although both Ruth and Mack earned their living by teaching, and then, in Mack's case, by working in the construction industry, their true passion was for the theater. They were original members of the Milan Theater Company (now the Detroit Repertory Theater), founded by Bruce Milan and Barbara Busby in 1957. The theater began as a touring children's theater company, bringing live theater to high schools and other venues in the southeastern Michigan region. When the Detroit Repertory was established, Mack and Ruth were active contributors as actors in, and directors of, many memorable productions. Ruth's lifelong friendship with her best friend, Barbara Busby, began during this time. In addition to the theater, Ruth and Mack's other passion was their property on Old Mission Peninsula. Friends and family of many generations gathered there to enjoy the outdoors, sing around campfires on the beach, and share family stories. Ruth worked as a teacher in the Detroit Public Schools from 1949 through 1987 (with a few breaks for having children) when she happily retired. She enjoyed an active retirement. She continued her involvement with the Detroit Rep., spent long lazy summers on Old Mission, attended innumerable dance, theater, and music performances, and continued to cultivate loving relationships with her children, their spouses, her grandchildren, her extended family, and her friends, who fondly refer to her as Ruthie. Although gone, Ruth leaves a lasting legacy in the lives and memories of those she touched. She played many roles--daughter, sister, cousin, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend, teacher, actress, dancer, cook extraordinaire, party hostess, patron of the arts, social activist, and citizen of the world. Her passion for life, the arts, and for social justice lives on in those of us left behind to mourn her. (Please make this a living document by adding your own memories of Ruth to the Google doc available at: http://preview.tinyurl.com/RuthPalmer-1-11-25) Cathy Palmer created 4-3-2015