Ruth M. Andrews

Ruth Madeline Andrews passed away peacefully at home on August 10, 2014. Ruth was born May 14, 1920 in Seattle, Washington to Edna Hall Peterson and Alexis Arthur Peterson. She was named after her grandmother. She attended Bryant Grade School and remained close to many of her classmates, gathering for class reunions with them each year including a 50th year celebration. She attended Roosevelt High School and graduated with honors when she was just 17 years old. She took classes at her father’s business school for a year and then enrolled at Washington State University (then called Washington State College). She loved her time at WSU where she met her husband, George Andrews. The summer of her sophomore year she served as a delegate to the Japanese-American Student Conference in Japan. This was a wonderful trip for her that proved very influential and shaped her life in many ways, establishing a life-long love of travel and respect for other cultures.

She was engaged to George in the spring of 1941 and was married on March 6, 1943 after graduating from WSU with highest honors. They moved to Olympia when George began work for the state Highway Department. Ruth was a devoted home maker and raised three sons, Gregory, Scott, and Bradley. The family lived in Olympia until 1957, when they moved to Seattle, Washington where George served as head of the project to build the I-5 freeway through Seattle. They returned to Olympia in 1965, when George was named Director of Highways. Ruth lived in Olympia for most of the remainder of her life, except for a five years when she and George moved to St. Louis, Missouri.

Ruth was active in her community all her life, serving as a volunteer or in leadership roles for numerous groups and organizations including the Olympia Golf and Country Club, the PEO, the ASCE women’s auxiliary, her church, women’s Orthopedic, the Governor’s Mansion, and the WSU Foundation. After George’s death she established a scholarship fund in his name for engineering students at WSU that continues to this day. She was an avid traveler. She and George toured much of North America, visited Europe numerous times, and traveled to Australia. On her own she visited Asia, Africa, and South America. The only continent she did not see was Antarctica.

Ruth was preceded in death by her beloved husband, George, and her brother, Russell Peterson. She is survived by her three sons: Gregory (Mary) who splits time between Tucson, Arizona and Port Ludlow, Washington; Scott (Katharine) who lives in Seattle; and Bradley who lives in Olympia. She also has 11 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren in whom she takes great pride. In lieu of flowers, remembrances of Ruth may be made to the George H. Andrews Scholarship Fund at: WSU Foundation, PO Box 641925, Pullman WA 99164-1925.