It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Ruth Neinken. Ruth passed away peacefully on November 12, 2018 at Miami Jewish Health at the age of 93. To say she will be missed is an understatement.
Ruth Butler Neinken is a mother of four, has seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. She was married to Harold Neinken for 27 years and was widowed in 1984.
She is a native of Miami and is a third-generation Floridian with her mother being born in Jacksonville, her grandmother in Grantwood, Florida and her grandfather, who was part Indian, in DeLeon Springs, Florida. Her father's side dates back to Pierce Butler from South Carolina and who was one of the 39 signers of the Constitution of United States. Her sons and grandsons and grand daughters were all born in Florida making them fourth and fifth generation of Floridians.
In the 1940’s after graduating high school, 8th in her class, she lived in Tallahassee working for Sherman Weiss - Hazel Cypen’s brother as his office manager in the office of the Institute of Government and Legislative Reference Bureau. In 1951, she returned to Miami working for the State Racing Commission and then becoming Social and Entertainment Director of booking in meeting with many celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor, Mike Todd, Milton Burrell and his wife Susan Hayward, to name a few - at the Sorrento, Algiers, Balmorale and Roney Plaza Hotel on Miami Beach.
In the late 50s she married Harold Neinken from Brooklyn, where the emergency room at Maimodies Hospital's is named for his mother and father, Tillie and Jacob Neinken. She gave birth to her two sons Bob and Jack. And her stepdaughters Darylynn and Lynn came to live with them in Miami Beach. After meeting Harold, Ruth decided to convert to Judaism. This is something she talked about with pride and conviction.
In the late 60s and 70s she was involved in the PTA at LeRoy D. Feinberg elementary school running the bookstore where there she created an art lending library for the students; she was a room mother planning and taking students on field trips all over Miami. She became president of the PTA at Ida Fisher Junior High School and did carpooling when necessary for sporting events. All of this in addition to running her home taking care of her husband and children, she also found time to play golf and bridge at Westview Country Club.
Ruth loved her hometown - Miami - and gave freely of herself to the community. She was dedicated to many causes (as can be seen below) most notably her activities to support the Miami Jewish Home for the Aged.
After her husband died in 1984 and her children graduated from college, she took advantage of the opportunity to travel - traveling to some 33 countries. She spent time in ancient Turkey, rode the palace on wheels train with her granddaughter in India, rode on an elephant safari in Nepal, sailed down the Nile in Egypt and also visited the pyramids. She was Bat Mitzvahed at the Wailing Wall while on the 50th anniversary of the greater Miami Jewish Federations “Mission of a Lifetime”.
Her favorite trip was to Africa with her family going on safaris seeing the “big five” (elephants, leopards, lions, rhinos in buffalo) and many other animals in their own habitats. In other African trips she ballooned and had a champagne breakfast on the plains of Kenya, saw Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, rafted down the Okavango Delta in Botswana, traveled the “Blue Train” in South Africa from Cape Town to Johannesburg and visited Kruger National Park at Mala Mala Game Reserve.
Other travels included sailing around South America from Valparaiso, Chile through the Strait of Magellan leaving the “mothership” to explore some islands and a glacier - visiting penguin nests in Argentina and Iguacu Falls in Rio in Brazil, traveling the Canadian Rockies in the west and sailing the St. Lawrence from Montréal to Halifax, Nova Scotia and on to New York in the East.
She also traveled 42 of the 50 states - visiting the canyon lands in Arizona, sleeping in a covered wagon, working at a ranch high above the Colorado River before helicoptering down to and spending three days and two nights rafting the rapids and sleeping on the beaches of the river. She also spent time visiting Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park and the Tetons. Her trip included taking a jet boat 70 miles down Hells Canyon in the worlds second largest rapids and rafting the Salmon River in Idaho and Sun Valley Idaho.
Besides traveling -- Ruth enjoyed her home, her family, bridge, golf (once holding a 13 handicap), Miami Dolphins football, swimming in her pool, fishing (having caught Sailfish, Marlin, Tarpon, Dolphin and Wahoo). She also enjoyed walking, bicycling, dining out, entertaining in her home for her friends or for charity and spending time with her many friends.
Ruth lived a full life and will be remembered by her love of life, love of family and caring for others.
She will be missed by family and friends.
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