Ruth F. Firaga

Ruth Frances Andrew was born on 11th March 1925 in London to Bessie and Ben Andrew, joining her big sister Margaret. She enjoyed her childhood with lots of outdoor activities, music and trips to the cinema. Her first job was as a receptionist and general assistant in her brother-in-law’s sound studio in London whilst living at home, but in 1960 she decided she wanted more independence and came to New York on a scheme for mothers’ helps. She soon moved on to work as a researcher for the BBC, then Esquire, MacMillian publishers and finally the Pinkerton Foundation. Whilst walking through Times Square, she met her future husband Bill Firaga and they enjoyed 24 years of marriage before he died in 1988. Throughout her life she was an avid reader and, once settled in New York, she loved the Metropolitan Museum, opera and a wide range of cuisines. Ruth also loved to travel to far flung destinations with Bill and others, last visiting family in England in her early 90s. She had a great sense of humour, was politically engaged and open-minded, and made friends easily. She was much loved and will be greatly missed.