It was just after her 75th birthday that the woman I know as "the Bubbinator" entered my life, and just a few months before her 90th that she left. In between we had a lot of laughs.
The heyday of her Roxy Theatre days was mostly behind her, although they'd fix her up with a minor role here and there, and the last time we saw her on stage can't be much more than a year ago. She was held in such high esteem by the Little Theatre crowd that a mere wave on Ruth's part could bring the house down.
Ruth's world has been shrinking for a few years. I remember when we rearranged the house on 4th Ave, moving her bedroom downstairs to facilitate one-floor living. We used to check up on her daily. It was a constant mystery how laundry was getting done in the basement, the clothes put away upstairs, all while Ruth never left the main floor!
There followed a further downsizing into Central Place, where she moved about three years ago. It's a half-block from her beloved Roxy, and for the first couple of years she still got around quite independently.
The last six months or so have been a journey of relentless decline. Ruth's faculties remained sharp to the end. She knew when the quality of her life had become something she didn't appreciate anymore, and didn't want to continue. She knew she was ready for the hospice.
She left on her own terms and on her own timetable. A thousand thank-yous to the staff at Central Place and Chapman House, and especially to Dr. Savaria, for the professional and compassionate care Ruth received these last few months.
Aside from the laughs, we also talked a lot of politics. I could be exaggerating my influence here, but I think it was largely thanks to me that Ruth was eventually able to concede that perhaps Netanyahu wasn't the greatest leader since Moses after all.
Hey Bubby, maybe we can revisit that conversation when we meet again!
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