Ruth Mary Caldwell

Our mother, Ruth Mary Caldwell, passed away November 18, 2018 in her sleep at The Retreat at Sunbrook, where she has lived since April, 2017.

She was born in Phoenix, Arizona on Sept. 16, 1919 to John Moffitt Williams and Catherine Roberts.  She grew up in Vancouver, Washington with her two older sisters Eleanor and Helen, and attended school there and at the University of Oregon in Eugene.

She married our father, Raymond A. Smith in 1941 and later married our second father Lee E. Caldwell in 1960.

She is survived by her children, Jody and husband Brad MacKenzie, and Don and wife Barbara, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

She had a passion for dancing, reading, and science, and a life-long interest in European history and the French language, all of which she never ceased studying, both at home, and in France.  Before moving to St. George in 2004, she lived in Portland, Oregon for 52 years, where she worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers and enjoyed watching the construction of several of the great dams on the Columbia River.  She also loved travelling with us as we explored our own passions.  Her friends may remember her iron grip handshake and her sprints up and down the hall.

She left happily and we will miss her dearly.  Per Mother's wishes there will be no ceremony.  The family will have a gathering next year to spread her ashes.