Ruth Anna Ku

Ruth Anna (Walsh) Ku of Oakton, VA, passed into the glory of heaven on May 9, 2019 at the age of 90. She was born on Long Island, NY, to Augustin and Ruth Walsh on June 13, 1928. Her family later lived on farms in Cross Keys and Franklinville, NJ, and then in the borough of Pitman, NJ. As a young adult she studied art at Hofstra University, worked as a telephone operator for The New York Telephone Company and later studied at Seton Hall University, where she met her husband, Kenneth Kung-Kai Ku. They were married in 1961 and had 6 children. Ruth lived her life selflessly for others. She denied herself and offered up her sacrifices to help others get to heaven. She thanked God that she could share in Christ’s suffering and his charity, and so have her heart turned toward heaven. She devoted her life to the Gospel, and served in the Third Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel for almost 10 years. She was passionate about the Catholic faith, especially the right to life of the unborn. She could look at any living thing and see its potential—seed, plant, or animal. In the eyes of every newborn and in the heart-beat of every unborn, she saw the potential that God had put there. She loved her children unconditionally, and this gave them great self-confidence and resilience. Her calm, loving demeanor hid a fierce wit and wicked sense of humor. She had a way of thinking that was creative, clever, and like no one else’s. She would look at situations and think of potential problems or solutions in ways that no one else would. St. Therese the Little Flower talks about how everyone has a vocation—some are meant to be grand roses and others, dandelions. Ruth was a crocus: first flower of spring, out in the snow when you don’t expect to see it; small but mighty. She in fact planted crocuses in the grass everywhere, both at her home and at St. Leo’s Church, her home away from home. She was preceded in death by her husband Kenneth, brother Richard Walsh, sister Dorothy Walsh, sister and brother-in-law Marie and Tom Tull, brother-in-law Lewis Green, sister-in-law Hsiao-wen Ku, and her parents. She is survived by: sisters Catherine Green, Rosalie Pascale and Peggy Walsh; son Fr. John Baptist Ku, OP; daughters and sons-in-law Maria & John Albin, Kathleen Ku & Thomas Begley, Dorothea & Tim Ku-Dipietro, Ellie & Hayden Codding, Bee Ku & Peter Benchimol; 19 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren and 16 nieces and nephews.