Elva Jane Buckingham Ruhe, age 96, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Oct. 5 at Evergreen Woods Retirement Community, North Branford. From her birth in Franklinville, New Jersey, on March 14, 1920, to her death, she nourished people around her with friendship and love and a true spirit of belonging.

She was born on a farm and was the youngest of four children. Her spirit of adventure took her to India, The Philippines, and Japan with the American Red Cross from 1945 to 1947. Her education consisted of a bachelor’s degree from Ursinus College (Collegeville, Pennsylvania) and a master’s degree from Indiana University (IU) (Bloomington, Indiana). It was her charm and determination that attracted Robert W. Ruhe to her while attending IU. They were married in 1950, settling in LaPorte, Indiana, where they had two sons, Jeff and Mark. The family followed Bob’s career as superintendent of parks in LaPorte, Skokie, Illinois, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, before retirement and Bob’s death in 1986.

EJ was never one to stand still and served as an elected official of the Skokie School Board, Minneapolis YWCA, and countless organizations and committees such as P.E.O., Evergreen Woods, and various churches and community organizations throughout her long life.

EJ will be remembered in a memorial service at Evergreen Woods, 88 Notch Hill Rd., North Branford, CT 06471, on Nov. 25 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in her name to Evergreen Woods Employees Scholarship Fund at Evergreen Woods, or a Visiting Nurse Association of America of your choice. For online tributes and condolences, please visit www.keenanfuneralhome.com.