ELLAMAY "RUTH" HONTERT

HONTERT ELLAMAY "RUTH" HONTERT (nee Puskas) age 86. Beloved wife of Raymond; Devoted mother of Rene' Kolecki (Joseph), Regina Martin (Jerry), Rachel Fiorucci, Rita Horval (Andrew, Sr.). Cherished Grandmother of: Scott (Erika) Kolecki, Jason (Lisa) Kolecki, Joseph (Kimberly) Kolecki, Jessica (Nathan) Noelker, Jacob (Kristina) Fiorucci, Jocelyn (Arthur) DeThomas, Timothy Fiorucci, Andrew Jr. (Lin) Horval, Sean (Martina) Horval, Eric Horval, Chase (Constanza) Horval, Justin (Lindsey) Horval, Craig (Brittany) Horval, Rochelle Horval. Dear Great-Grandmother of: Kendyll, Sophia, Ella; Jason, Nicole, Raymond, Megan; Claire; Roselina, Zachary, Alexis, Sage; Isaac, Lilyana; Judah, Jesse, Jacquelin, Larry; Giovanni, Maddalena; Brody; Ellie. Daughter of the late Michael and Ella Puskas; sister of the late Eileen Puskas and Jean Fuentes. Dear Aunt of: Carlos (Marylynn) Fuentes, Gary Fuentes, Theresa Grubbs; David (Christina) Moss, Ruthann Moss and David Moss (Christina/Teena) Great Aunt of: Christopher (Lindsay), Jennifer, Matthew (Maggine), Daniel Moss, Gregory Moss (Megan), Kevin Moss(Courtney), Ruthann Moss, Heidi Moss-Irvin (George) and the late Jill Fuentes Great-Great Aunt of: Sabrina, Callie, Gwendalyn, Ian, Maitland, Maddox and Kayce Great-Great-Great Aunt of: Vincent and Scarlet How do you describe the quality of a life? When we stop to think about the brief time each of us gets to spend on this Earth, we might agree that we measure a life by remembering the milestones - the date and time someone is born, the date and time they graduate high school, graduate college, get married, have children, retire from work, and, ultimately, the date and time they pass from this world into eternity. In addition to those milestone moments, we begin to recall the hundreds (or even thousands) of unmarked milestone moments that mean so much more to each of us. If we're lucky, we might get the opportunity to share a part of our life with someone who lived their life in a way that "raises the bar" for the rest of us, and reminds us, even after they've left this world behind, just how amazing life really can be. On August 29, 2016, at 3:05 a.m., we lost such a person. Ellamay Ruth Hontert, who was at once a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, a cousin, aunt, and friend to so many, passed from this world into eternity. Yet, even in her passing, she left behind her legacy in the lives of all the people who were fortunate enough to know her in this world. Ruth Hontert was one of the most vivacious, outgoing people you could ever hope to meet. She did not know the word surrender - and she lived her life with a fullness that inspired generations of family and friends to follow in her footsteps. Always up-at-dawn and ready to start her day, Ruth was constantly engaged with her entire family. Sunday dinner at grandma's house was a weekly recurrence, and Ruth would cook a huge meal for her entire family (which often meant preparing food for more than 20 people (a number that only got larger as her family continued to grow)), even when she was still working a full-time job during the week at Ohio Bell. She was known for taking her grandkids on endless bike rides, whether that meant a quick trip around the block, or a true trek thru the Cleveland Metroparks, and she could keep up with each and every one of them (and she had fourteen grandchildren in all!) Such trips often ended with a trip to the local ice creamery or to the donut shop, where "raised glazed" were the order of the day. Beyond being incredibly - and continually - engaged with her family close to home, Ruth also enjoyed travelling across the country, and around the world, because it brought her closer to other members of her family that lived further away from her. You see, Ruth was always committed to maintaining connections with all of her people. Whether travelling to Europe to see one of her grandchildren get married, or taking a trip to Italy to visit with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren who lived there, she made a great effort - even later on in her life - to get outside of her little neighborhood in Old Brooklyn, Ohio, and see the world - and to connect with her family - always to connect and be inclusive in each of their lives. Ruth raised four daughters, helped raise fourteen grandchildren, and remained very active till the end of her life with all twenty-two of her great-grandchildren. But even while planning all the weekly meals for her family, taking the countless road trips by bus, train or plane (which she did frequently), running from event to event to support her family all over Northeast Ohio, to hosting the many birthday parties and holiday celebrations that brought all of her family together at her house throughout the year, Ruth still found time to express herself in an endless array of unique and creative ways Ruth enjoyed working with her hands, and was extremely good at it. She could create art out of almost anything - almost exclusively in miniature - in the form of elaborate doll houses, shadow boxes, or intricate murals generated via paper quilling. She also had a great love, and an equal talent, for knitting and crocheting. Rare was the day when there wasn't a partially crocheted blanket lying next to her craft table. And though she enjoyed doing this work when she was alone, she was all the more excited when she could share it with someone else. As you might guess, she was always more than willing to teach anyone who was interested in learning from her. Moreover, she loved sharing her crafts with anyone who cared to take the time to stop and enjoy looking at them with her. While her dollhouses could truly be considered works of art, she gladly allowed her grandchildren to play with all of them, and never put them off limits to anyone who was curious or interested in what she was up to. You see, Ruth's focus in life was to always be engaged with, and taking care of, her family - about doing whatever she could, in whatever way she could - to make their lives just a little bit better. Sometimes that meant a knitted blanket on a cold winter day, or receiving a matching set of Christmas stockings that she made, seemingly, overnight. It meant sitting down as a family each Sunday to enjoy her homemade "Chop Suey" or "Chicken Paprikash" and barely being able to hear each other speak because the house was so full of laughter. It meant long hours (that never felt long when you were with her) of grocery shopping and, when she was almost finished, stopping back at the deli for that fresh slice of cheese pizza from the sheet that just came out of the oven. Sometimes it meant sitting quietly together concentrating on a crossword puzzle, or playing game after game of UNO. Sometimes it meant something as simple as a long phone conversation, just so she knew you were doing okay, and you knew she was doing okay too. In the end, the true measure of Ruth's life wasn't found in the major milestones she reached - it was measured in the innumerable little moments she shared and the unwavering love and devotion she had for her family and friends, and for everyone she knew throughout her life. If you knew nothing else about her, you almost certainly knew that she loved to work in her garden - to plant seeds and to grow the most beautiful flowers. The legacy that she leaves behind is perhaps best symbolized by that garden. Even though she is gone, she has planted seeds in each of her four daughters and their husbands, her fourteen grandchildren and their spouses or significant others, and in the twenty-two great-grandchildren who were fortunate enough to know her in this life - that will continue to blossom for generations to come. She will be missed in ways that words could never accurately convey, but she will also be remembered for many generations to come....and so long as we remember her, and remember anything of the person she was in this life, then she'll continue to live on, through us, as our family continues to grow from the seeds she planted during her time with us down here in the sun. "With all our love and affection - we miss you Grandma." SJK, 9/2/16 Ruth was an active member of Telephone Pioneers and various miniature clubs: Cleveland Miniature Society,Small Scale Artist Guild, Strongsville Miniature Club, Wadsworth Miniature Club, Missfits, La Petite Amies, Dolls and Mini's. 1963-1968 employee/roller skater of The Cleveland Rollercade W 65th and Denison Avenue 1960 - 2013 active precinct president/registration/ballot count clerk Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and Census Taker. 1970's-1980's member of Saint Thomas More Choir. Donations suggested to Little Jason Childhood Cancer Foundation; 385 Chandler Ct., Medina, Ohio 44256. Mass of Christian Burial 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, September 7, 2016, at St. Thomas More Church, 4170 N. Amber Dr., Brooklyn. Interment Holy Cross Cemetery. The family will receive friends TUESDAY 4-8 P.M. at the A. RIPEPI AND SONS FUNERAL HOME, 18149 BAGLEY RD., MIDDLEBURG HTS. (WEST OF I-71) Visitation September 06, 2016 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM A.RIPEPI & SONS FUNERAL HOME 18149 BAGLEY ROAD MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, OH (440) 260-8800 Mass of Christian Burial September 07, 2016 10:00 AM St. Thomas More Church 4170 North Amber Drive Brooklyn, OH 1-216-749-0414 Interment Wednesday September 07 2016 Holy Cross Cemetery 14609 Brookpark Road Brook Park, OH 1-216-267-2850