LAWLESS, Ruthmary (Ruth)

Passed away peacefully after a brief illness on Monday, November 20, 2017, at Sunrise in Victoria, B.C. at the age of 87. Predeceased by her loving husband and best friend, Jim (James Christopher, Lt.-Cmdr., RCN), her parents Edmund B. and Mildred M. Brackenbury and her brother, Kenneth (Mary). Survived by her children Chris, Kevin (Lyn, deceased) and Marianne, much loved grandchildren Alexandra, Jonathan and Devlin (Jacinthe Cyr), sister Elizabeth (Bob) and brother Bennett (Doreen), plus numerous nieces and nephews in Canada and the United States. Ruthmary attended the University of Ottawa, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1952 and her Bachelor of Library Science in 1971. She had a long and fulfilling career in the Public Service of Canada, retiring from the National Library of Canada (now Library and Archives Canada) in Ottawa in 1994. Her love of books led her to volunteer for several years with Friends of the National Library and work tirelessly at the annual Times-Colonist book sale in Victoria. We will fondly remember Mom for her apple strudel (the best!), her love of books and learning, her insatiable appetite for debate, her talent for crewel embroidery work, her beautiful English flower gardens and her love of long drives looking at the mountains and the ocean surrounding Victoria, where she first lived with Jim after their marriage in 1953. Very, very special thanks to the staff at Sunrise in Victoria and Dr. Dan Buie who showed great compassion and care to mother over the last nine years. Family and friends are invited to visit at the Central Chapel of Hulse, Playfair & McGarry, 315 McLeod Street (at O’Connor) Ottawa on Monday, November 27 from 6-8 pm. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 1758 Alta Vista Drive, on Tuesday, November 28, at 11 am. Interment to follow at Notre-Dame Cemetery, 455 Montreal Road. Reception for friends and family will follow at The Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, 1 Hunt Club Road, Ottawa.
Memorial donations may be made to the Victoria Times-Colonist Raise-a-Reader Fund or the Excellence in Literacy Foundation.