Ruth Catherine Hunt

Ruth Catherine Wagstaff Hunt, beloved mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, passed away at the age of 94 after a brief illness.  Ruth was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio on March 29, 1927, the daughter of Josephine Anita Astell and Joseph Alfred Wagstaff, Sr.  In 1945, shortly after graduating from the Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington, Maryland, Ruth married Edward R. Hunt Jr., a U.S. Naval aviator.  Ed was stationed throughout the United States and abroad, accompanied by his wife, who made a “home” for their growing family in lands as far off as French Morocco. Ruth and Ed were married until his death in 2010.

Ruth resided at The Canterbury in Rancho Palos Verdes, California for the last fifteen years of her life, where she was much beloved by residents and staff. She was known fondly at the Canterbury as “Hollywood,” a nod to her “fashionista” sense of style, trademark oversized designer sunglasses, and gregarious personality and sense of humor. Ruth was also an artist especially known for her prolific oil and acrylic portraits, which she continued to paint even as her eyesight began to fail late in her life.  Her paintings were exhibited at numerous shows, one of which was awarded Best in Show at the Hermosa Beach Arts Festival.

Ruth is survived by her “her girls” (daughters) Ruth Astell Hunt, Mary Teresa Hunt, Anita Helen Abernathy, and Caroline Kelley Moore; sons-in-law Harry  Korn and Thomas M. Moore; her grandchildren Josephine Hunt-Korn (Bintal Hunt-Korn), Drew Gilkey (Veronica Gilkey), Kelley Gilkey, Thomas D. Moore (Crystal Dousenard), Declan Moore and Rowan Moore; and great grandchildren Steven Clements and Rhys Gilkey, all of whom loved their “Mum” and “Grams” and will terribly miss her big cheerful “hello’s,” bright smile, laughter, and her always positive attitude. As Winnie the Pooh so beautifully said “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

Ruth’s life will be celebrated at the Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes Estates, California on February 12, 2022, at 11:00 a.m.  She will be interred alongside her husband at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia in a private service.