Ruth Elizabeth Edwards

Ruth Elizabeth Edwards (nee Ray) passed away on January 7, 2025 at the age of 98.

Ruth was born to the late Frank Ivan and Susan Grace (nee Overton) Ray on June 23, 1926, in the small town of Heltonville, IN, and grew up in Bedford, IN. Despite her humble origins and the era in which she was raised, it was always expected that she would pursue higher education and achieve great things. In 1947, she graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Home Economics; becoming one of the less than 4% of adult women in the U.S. to have a college degree in 1947. 

After her graduation, she married fellow Boilermaker and her high school sweetheart, Joseph Donald Edwards on June 21, 1947. The two lovebirds began their marriage in a small apartment in Lafayette while Don finished his degree in Mechanical Engineering. They later moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa (where they welcomed their first two sons), then to Omaha, Nebraska, before ultimately settling down in their final hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio (where they welcomed their last two sons).

Ruth returned to college later in life, earning a second degree in Dietetics from the College of Mt. St. Joseph. After interning at Good Samaritan Hospital and becoming a registered dietitian, she landed a prestigious position at St. George Hospital. When the opportunity arose, she opened her own private practice in Cheviot. She was later elected as the President of the eight-county Greater Cincinnati Dietetics Association (GCDA).

Stubborn and tenacious, Ruth lived her life on her own terms, defying societal expectations and overcoming numerous complications. She was a voracious reader who, despite the deterioration of her vision, continued to devour books from the library each week. Ruth was a 50-year survivor of breast cancer and also survived a ruptured aortic aneurysm in 2012. She raised four boys and managed a household, while earning a second degree and running her own business. Ruth’s legacy of family, education, and perseverance will endure through all who knew and loved her.

She is proceeded in death by her loving husband of 66 years, J. Donald Edwards, and her wonderful granddaughter, Holly Edwards. She is survived by Douglas (Regina), Grant (Mary), Mark (Sharon Lambert), Thomas (Kathe), and Marlene Mansker (the late Rodney); her grandchildren, Kelly Cape (Ian), April Edwards, and Benjamin Edwards (Kristen); her step-grandchildren, Sarah Kagrise and Dana Kagrise; and her great-grandchildren, Harrison and Mallory Cape, and Ember and Ozzie Edwards.

A visitation will be held on Monday, January 13, at 10:00 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 12:00 p.m., at Dalbert, Woodruff & Isenogle Funeral Home, 2880 Boudinot Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45238.

Memorial contributions may be made to Twin Towers, 5343 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45224, or to the Paralyzed Veterans of America, 801 Eighteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20006.