S. Ruth Wheeler

Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, the middle child of Rose and Samuel Selikovitz, Ruth fell in love with fairy tales and so……

Once upon a time there was a young girl named Ruth, who had a older brother, Albert, and a younger sister, Helene. Ruth graduated from John Adams High School in Cleveland, and eventually made her way to Lynn, Massachusetts, and then to Swampscott, where she remained for the next sixty plus years.

Ruth had an immense love of the water and became enthralled with the sport of synchronized swimming. She was a “frequent flyer” at the YWCA in Boston, as well as many other swimming facilities, and passed her passion of this sport to many children near and as far as the Cedardale Swim and Tennis Club in Groveland, Massachusetts.

Her dream of becoming a teacher/librarian was never fulfilled; however, one of her greatest accomplishments was, after retiring from her position as an executive secretary for Healthco/Rower Dental in Boston, Ruth attended UMass in Boston and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree when she was in her mid-sixties. Ruth wanted to continue on to Law School, but health issues prevented her from continuing her education in a formal environment. Her quest for knowledge never ceased, and she read and studied court cases voraciously. Ruth was a champion for the underdog and worked relentlessly in her own way toward equal treatment and respect for all.

All fairly tales eventually must end, and so her memory and life will continue to be celebrated by her daughter, Jane (Keith) Burritt, her grandchildren Derek (Dorothy) Burritt, Jason (Ami) Burritt, and her great-grandchildren, Jules, Ashton, Quinn and Trent.

The End.

You may all honor Ruth’s memory by reading and supporting your local libraries.

A special thank-you to her neighbor, Norma Rooks, her special friends Richard and Lynn Katz, and the people from Santander Bank and the Swampscott Library and Salem Library who helped make her life easier.

The final story hour will take place on Sunday, December 30, 2018 at 11:00am at Ahabat Sholom Memorial Park, Buxton Road, Danvers, Massachusetts. Stanetsky-Hymanson Memorial Chapel, 10 Vinnin Street, Salem, MA 01970 has the honor of caring for Ruth.