Ruth J. Starbranch

Ruth Jacobson Starbranch, age 91, of Cromwell and formerly of Madison, passed away peacefully on Saturday November 11, 2017. Ruth was born in New Haven, CT on April 20, 1926, daughter of the late Adolf Julius and Ellen Nilsson Jacobson. She was also predeceased by John, her husband of 46 years and her two sisters, Cecilia Johnson and Betty Henrickson.

Ruth is survived by 3 daughters and sons-in-law, Lisa & Mark Carruthers formerly of Old Saybrook, CT and currently living aboard the M/V Tapestry, Nancy & George Bailey of Clinton, CT, and Debbie & Chet Kirby of Madison, CT. She is also survived by 6 grandchildren, Ellen (Michelle) Bailey, Abby (Chris) Wurts, Meredith (Rachael) Bailey, Emily (Chris) Hein, Greg Kirby, and Lynsey Kirby. She is blessed to also be survived by 3 great-grandchildren, Lucy, Declan, and Jackson Bailey.

Ruth grew up in Bethesda Lutheran Church in New Haven where she was very active in the choir and Luther League. She helped start the Doubles club and she and John continued to participate in it even after she left Bethesda. Church was where she met and married John in 1947. They lived in Hamden until relocating with their 3 young daughters to Madison in 1962. They joined the Lutheran Church of Madison where Ruth was a member of the Ladies’ Guild and the Altar Guild.

She loved the town of Madison and was happy to raise her daughters there. In addition to church activities, Ruth was a member of the Madison Women’s Club, was a Girl Scout leader, delivered Meals on Wheels for several years, was active in a bowling league (where she was very good!), and enjoyed playing in a summer bocce league. She especially enjoyed the beach and evenings sitting with John on their front porch. Ruth also had a couple of part-time jobs at the Showcase gift store in Madison and at the London Luggage gift shop in Old Saybrook. John used to joke that she was their best customer!

Ruth and John were avid square dancers and long time members of the Homenoscitt Square Dance Club. They danced at least once a week in various towns in Connecticut and went out of state for special weekends several times a year.

They also loved to travel and visited much of the United States as well as Bermuda, Scandinavia, and Europe. Their favorite summer places to visit were New Hampshire and Block Island. After John’s death in 1993 Ruth still went to New Hampshire for several years with her daughters and their families for summer vacations.

After living in Madison for 49 years, in 2011 Ruth moved to the Covenant Village of Cromwell. Her Swedish Lutheran heritage was very important to Ruth and she met many folks there with similar backgrounds who she enjoyed getting to know and comparing histories. She was a big fan of the New York Yankees and UConn Women’s basketball and enjoyed discussing the games with her neighbors.

A memorial service will be held at the Lutheran Church of Madison 9 Britton Ln. Madison CT. 06443 to celebrate Ruth’s life, on Wednesday November 15, 2017 at 11:00am. Swan Funeral Home 825 Boston Post Rd. Madison CT. 06443 is in charge of arrangements. To sign the online guestbook go to www.swanfuneralhomemadison.com

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Lutheran Church of Madison (9 Britton Lane, Madison, CT 06443) or the Covenant Village of Cromwell Benevolent Fund (52 Missionary Rd, Cromwell, CT 06416).