Ruth B. Reid, 96, of Gorham, formerly of Damariscotta, wife of William S. Reid, passed away Aug. 19 at The Gorham House, her home of the past few months. She was born at Ross, Ohio, Feb. 7, 1912, the daughter of Charles and Addie Bowman. She graduated from Hamilton High School and from Littleford Nelson Business College in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1932.
In 1936 she married William S. Reid, a native of Augusta, who was living and working in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were married for 60 years. Bill passed away in 1996 in Damariscotta, where they had been living for 23 years.
Ruth was active in the Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio and Norristown, Penn. and Second Congregational Church of Newcastle. She was active in parent-teacher organizations in Cincinnati and Norristown and on the board of the Y.W.C.A. in Norristown. She was active in Girl Scout and Boy Scout work in Cincinnati and Norristown and on the Board of the Freedom Valley Girl Scout Council at Valley Forge, Penn. She was a member of the Miles Hospital League and very active at the Lincoln Home, serving as President for three years. She was also a past president of the Newcastle-Damariscotta Woman’s Club. In 2005, she moved to Gorham, where she joined the First Parish Congregational Church.
Ruth is survived by her three children, William B. Reid and wife Ruth of St. Petersburg, Fla., and their three children, Steve Reid of Tujunga, Cal., Gail Reid-Mack and husband, Ernie, of Studio City, Cal., Susan Sar and husband Raymond of Los Angeles, Cal.; Rev. Joan Hill and husband Jay of Safety Harbor, Fla. and their four children, Lisa Smith and husband Hunter of Burlingame, Cal. and their two children, Tori and Drew Smith, and D.J. Hill and wife Laura of Raleigh N.C., and their three children, Kenan, Emery, and Grayson Hill; Lauren Fernandes and husband Graham of Houston, Tex., and their son, Roman, and Kalani Silva and wife Angela of Longmeadow, Mass., and their two children, Tucker and Ellie; and Janet Willis and husband Paul of Gorham, and their two children, David Willis of Gorham and Jen Willis of Philadelphia, Penn.
Ruth always had a great love of Maine and she and Bill vacationed yearly at Pemaquid, until retiring to Damariscotta in 1973. Both Bill and Ruth were ardent supporters of education, investing their lives in the lives of others.
There are no visiting hours. Memorial service 10:30 a.m. Sat., Aug. 23 at First Parish Congregational Church, 1 Church St., Gorham. Everyone is invited to join the family in the Fellowship Hall following the service for a luncheon.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Ruth’s name to The University of Maine Foundation, 100 Foden Rd., Suite 303 West Building, South Portland, ME 04106, 1-207-253-5172, 1-800-449-2629, http://umainefoundation.org.
The scholarship will be offered to a graduating student of Lincoln Academy, Newcastle in memory of William S. and Ruth B. Reid.
