Ruth Wheeler Manchester, of Jensen Beach, Fla. and South Bristol, died in her sleep on New Years Day, just short of her 97th birthday, in Portland.
Widow of Randall Manchester, who died in 1999, she is survived by daughters, Shirley McDowell of Scarborough and Martha Hobbs of Nashua, N.H.; grandchildren, Steven and Erick McDowell and David and Christina Hobbs; and five great-grandchildren.
Born Jan. 12, 1911, in Jersey City, N.J., she was the daughter of Cecil Wheeler and Martha (Miller) Wheeler. She lived in Montreal West until the early death of her father, and then moved to Troy, N.Y. where she graduated from high school.
In 1931, she married RPI graduate, Randall Manchester and they lived in Troy, N.Y. until the late 1980’s. They loved traveling and eventually settled in Jensen Beach, Fla. while summering in South Bristol.
Burial will be in the Harrington Cemetery, Bristol in the summer, following a memorial service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the South Bristol Library, South Bristol, ME 04568 or the Lincoln County Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 7, Edgecomb, ME 04556.
Arrangements are under the direction and care of Strong Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 612 Main St., Damariscotta.
