Ruth A. Haywood of Branford died peacefully on Feb. 27.at the Connecticut Hospice, Branford. She was born Ruth Asinet Kapigian on June 19, 1922 in West New York, New Jersey, daughter of the late Isabel and Paul Kapigian, survivors of the Armenian genocide. Ruth was the wife of 52 years to James Haywood, who predeceased her in 2003. Together, Ruth and James had lived their entire married life in the Granite Bay area of Branford.

When Ruth finished her formal schooling, her family moved to Greenwich Village, New York, to help in the family grocery store. Ruth was hired by the Home Insurance Company to work as an underwriter, a job at the time primarily assigned to a man. She was very happy with her work and the opportunity for travel that it provided her. Ruth’s twin sister Rose (Nuvart) Kapigian went to work at the Federal Reserve Bank.

Ruth was known for her gentle nature, her loyalty, and her desire to help people. She was a lifelong member of Jehovah's Witnesses and an avid bible reader. Her close friends knew her as a woman of great faith in God.

Ruth was an excellent mother, wife, grandmother, sister, and friend. With her death, the world has lost a woman of integrity and dignity. Ruth touched the hearts of everyone she met. She was filled with beauty, grace, compassion, and poise. She will be deeply missed.

Ruth’s family is thankful for the help they received through the Guilford Visiting Nurse and her caregivers, Jennifer, Marie, and Elaine. The family could not have cared for Ruth without them.

Ruth is survived by two children, her daughter Beth Records and husband Wade and their two sons, John and Bennett; and her son Timothy Haywood and his wife Anne and their two sons, Joshua and Caleb. In addition, she is survived by her niece Jo-Ann Page. She was also survived by her twin sister Rose, who survived her by one day, their close bond through life carrying even to their death.

A brief memorial service will be held graveside on Saturday, April 20, at 9:30 a.m., in East Lawn Cemetery, East Haven.