Ruth McMahon Price

Ruth McMahon Price, 81, of Austin, Texas, had her grand finale on Mother’s Day, May 14, 2006. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, May 17, 2006, at 11:00 a.m. at Ascension Lutheran Church. Ruth was born on February 28, 1925, in Belle Plains, Iowa, to Joseph and Mary Perrin McMahon. The family moved to Texas in June 1927, living in San Antonio and Georgetown. Ruth attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she met Thomas Gordon Price. They were married on July 23, 1944. Ruth accompanied her husband through medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, working as a banker, and while in the Navy at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland, and various hospitals in Dallas and Ft. Worth, Texas and Little Rock, Arkansas. After Dr. Price was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant from the Navy, the Price ‘s moved to Austin, Texas, where Dr. Price was one of the founding pathologists of Clinical Pathology Laboratories. Ruth was always very close with her family. When her younger sister’s husband was overseas in the military, she and Gordon helped them get settled in a home in Austin, and kept a watchful eye on their family. When her mother was no longer able to care for herself, Ruth took her into her home and cared for her. Ruth was an active member in the Republican Party for many years, and in 1972 was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Miami, Florida. She was active in the Austin Republican Women’s Club, Women’s Auxiliary of the Travis County Medical Society, Westwood Country Club, the Women’s Symphony League of Austin, Girl Scouts of America and her children’s school PTA’s. She has been a member of St. Martin’s Lutheran Church where she was a Stephen’s Minister and Ascension Lutheran Church, where she was the first female member of the church council, initiating building plans for the new sanctuary. After Gordon died at the early age of 43, Ruth raised her daughter and was the “neighborhood mom”. Her children will also remember her for her fabulous 3 layer German chocolate cakes that she made for them each July. Ruth loved her son-in-law and grandchildren with a passion, red roses, dogs, her antebellum “ranch” house on Barton Creek, Nat King Cole, Perry Como, her friend Carol Beglau’s beef stroganoff; her mother’s Swedish meatballs and spaghetti, lemon-filled angel food cake and star mints; and TCBY frozen yogurt. She always had her hair and make-up done perfectly. She was a fighter to the end, saying, “If I’m going to die, I’m going to die with a Coke”. Mrs. Price is survived by her son Tom Price and wife Deborah, daughter Vicki DeWeese and husband Pete, grandchildren Christopher Price, Amy and Kelly DeWeese, all of Austin, and Grant Price of Laramie, Wyoming; sisters Virginia Rushton of San Antonio and Jody Reed and husband Marvin, of Anchorage, Alaska; and many nieces, nephews and special friends. Arrangements are with Weed-Corley-Fish. Burial will be at Austin Memorial Park next to her beloved husband Dr. Thomas Gordon Price and her daughter-in-law Marie Price. A reception will follow at Ascension Lutheran Church. The family wishes to thank the family of Sandra Bell for their love and care through the past years; Carol, Audrey, Rose, and Fern for always being there for her, all of Vicki’s friends who “adopted” “Grammy”, Dr. Nancy Foster, the “princess” nurses and respiratory therapists of the 4th floor at Seton Hospital, Diane and Biscuit, and the staff at Brighton Gardens and Hospice Austin. The family suggests memorial donations to: Therapy Pet Pals of Texas, 3930 Bee Caves Rd. Suite C, Austin, Texas 78746, St. Martin’s Lutheran Church, Ascension Lutheran Church, the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association or Hospice Austin. Obituary and guestbook online at wcfish.com