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Ruth Hughes Adams

Ruth Hughes Adams passed away peacefully at Yale New Haven Hospital on Feb. 9, 2024, after a brief illness. Ruth was born, as she always wanted you to know, on her grandmother’s dining room table in Sanford, Maine, in 1936.

She grew up in Westbrook and later moved to Clinton. The shoreline, especially its beaches, made a large impression on her childhood and always remained close to her heart. Ruth attended Morgan High School in Clinton, and it was here, as a member of its Hi-Y chapter, that she met her future husband, Richard Adams, when the Morgan Hi-Y chapter and the Valley Regional Hi-Y chapter met to plan a variety show. After graduation, Ruth attended Becker Junior College in Worcester, Massachusetts. After college, Ruth went to work in the office of Shoreline Industries in Clinton. While raising her family, she worked in the Essex Sew n’ So Shop, the office of the E. E. Dickinson Co., then co-owned The Strawberry Patch in Chester, which sold sewing and knitting supplies, as well as gifts.

Anyone who has known Ruth can attest to her amazing talent and skills in many different areas of arts and crafts. From the traditional New England braided wool rugs that warm the floors of the family’s home to the countless quilts she has sewn, she put her love and eye for perfection into every project she touched. She especially enjoyed scouring the beach for special shells and the many camping trips the family took over the years. She also enjoyed traveling to different parts of the U.S., Canada, and the British Isles. Ruth was a member of Willoughby Wallace Library Quilters in Stoney Creek and, through that association, became involved in the Quilts of Valor Foundation. She was proud to make quilts to present to service members or veterans who have been touched by war as a way of saying “thank you for your service.” She was especially pleased when one of her quilts was awarded to her own brother, Nate.

Ruth was a founding member of the Shoreline Soup Cellar. In 1989, during a vision day at the First Baptist Church in Essex, the members decided to open a soup kitchen to serve weekly free meals to anyone who was hungry or even just lonely. Despite criticism that there was no need, they persevered and, at their first meal, served 11 people. She went from church to church in the area, spreading the word, enlisting volunteers, and soliciting donations. At first, funds were kept in a small blue coin purse that she used to buy staples to stock the pantry from which clients could take food home. Ruth later joined the Deep River Congregational Church, where she has been an active participant in the congregation for 20 years. Her presence in that faith community was felt and appreciated by many.

Ruth is survived by her husband of 67 years, Richard “Dick” Adams; by her three children, Duane “Chip” Adams (Linda Oliver-Smith) of West Hartford, Kathleen Setzer (Stephen) of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, and Richard “Rik” Adams (Marti Louther) of Seattle, Washington; her five grandchildren: Lea Adams, Emily Adams, Nicholas Setzer, Benjamin Setzer, and Nora Adams; her sister Joan Graf (Robert) of Lakeshore, Florida; her brother Nathaniel Hughes (Fran) of Guilford; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her sisters, Barbara Krawczyk and Jean Hughes.

The family wishes to express their deep gratitude to the staff at Autumn Lake Healthcare in Madison, the nurses at St. Raphael’s and Yale New Haven Hospitals, and Vitas Health Care for the excellent care and support they provided to Ruth and the family during her journey home.

A Celebration of Ruth’s Life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 9, at the Deep River Congregational Church. A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to or volunteering for the Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Pantries in her honor. To share a memory of Ruth or send a condolence to her family, please visit www.rwwfh.com. The Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home is in care of the arrangements.