Ruth Irene Waldhauer died peacefully at her home in La Honda, CA on March 7, 2018. Born April 3, 1928 to Petranella and Joseph Waina in Cleveland, Ohio, she is survived by sister Alice Ayers of Euclid, OH and brother Daniel Waina of Mentor, OH. Predeceased by her sister, Pat Waina, and husband, Frederick D. Waldhauer, whom she married in February 1955. They had five children whom they raised in Fair Haven, NJ: Neil Waldhauer (Cara Lamb) of Santa Cruz, CA, Amy Waldhauer (Folkert Tangerman) of Northport NY, Ann Waldhauer of La Honda, CA, Alice Waldhauer (David Mohr) of Columbus, OH, and Kim Waldhauer (Giacomo Servetti) of Tomkins Cove, NY. She is also survived by her grandson, Meindert Frederick Tangerman (Caitlin Quinones), of Boston, MA.
Ruth attended Case School of Applied Science (now Case Western Reserve) and in 1952 earned a degree in Chemical Engineering from Fenn College (now Cleveland State University), where she was one of only two women in her graduating class. She was employed by Lubrizol, RCA, and, for 20 years, National Marine Fisheries Service at the Sandy Hook Laboratories in New Jersey. Ruth’s family is proud of her internationally cited research on the effect of heavy metals in marine ecosystems, which provided impetus for politicians to regulate and eliminate industrial waste dumping in Raritan Bay and resulted in the recovery of shellfish in that area. She continued research on heavy metals on the East Coast, contributing to a unified understanding of metals’ impacts on the coastal fisheries and marine environments. In 1989, she moved to California and was employed by SRI International in Menlo Park where she worked on market research of the petrochemical industry.
While living in the Santa Cruz Mountains, she gave long-standing service to the South Skyline Association where she was a board member for nearly 30 years. During this time, she served as Secretary, Treasurer, and Membership Chair. In addition, she organized community events and community meetings. In 1994 with she and some neighbors established Skyline Propane Users Group (SPUG), a propane cooperative. Ruth administered this group for over 20 years. To this day, SPUG continues to assist residents in access to favorable energy pricing.
Ruth continued her advocacy for the land on which she lived and for her local community. She established two Adopt-a-Highway sponsorships, by SSA and by Skyline Historical Society and solicited new volunteers for each bi-monthly pickup which created a tighter community network. She contributed a significant portion of the research for a local history book, The South Skyline Story. In a geographic area tied together by Skyline Boulevard, she lobbied local and state representatives and agencies in efforts to improve highway maintenance as well as safety, contributing to quality of life for neighbors and visitors.
Ruth was an active participant with the Wednesday Walkers, a hiking group who still frequent the many preserves and parks in the area accompanied by lively conversation on a broad range of topics. After founder Jody Fork passed the baton, Ruth organized the weekly hikes for about a decade.
Ruth is remembered for her kindness, wisdom, and wit, as well as her love of nature and art. She was a brilliant scientist who pursued groundbreaking research while raising five children. She was a great cook, a lover of jazz, a devoted grandmother, a fierce advocate for the land where she lived and a tireless organizer and volunteer for recurring litter patrols. Ruth made everything she did look easy.
A memorial for family and friends will be held on Saturday June 23 (2018) at The Mountain Terrace, 17285 Skyline Boulevard, Woodside CA, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon .
Donations may be made in Ruth’s name to the following organizations:
The American Littoral Society (https://www.littoralsociety.org/)
Puente de la Costa Sur (https://mypuente.org/)
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