peacefully at her home at The Legacy of Santa Fe on Wednesday, Nov 20,
2019, at the age of 95. She was married for over 50 years to fellow musician
Burt Tobias.
She was born Marian Ruth Hardtke in Arlington Heights, IL, in 1924 and
attended Arlington Heights HS, and Lindenwood College in St. Charles, MO.
During the war, she worked at Douglas Aircraft, where she was introduced to
the 12-piece band that played at the plant during long lunch hours for the
workers. Soon she joined their band and began her long professional singing
career, working with all the well-known band leaders in Chicago. From
1946-48, she sang with the band at Wrigley Field, behind home plate, every
inning!
She met Chicago trumpet player Burt Tobias at the French Room of the Drake
Hotel in 1947, and they were married in 1948. They had two daughters, Carole
and Wendy, and moved to Lincolnwood, IL, in 1958. Their life together was a
perfect balance of music and family.
In the 60’s, the heyday of women’s trios, Ruth learned to play the bass and
began her own trio, Ruth Marion and her Escorts. Then in 1970, Ruth was
asked to run for office as an Executive Board Member of the Chicago
Federation of Musicians Union and won a position on the Examining Board,
thus being the first woman on the board! Later, she was elected as Union
Delegate. She retired from the board in 2004. In 1984, she began writing
columns for the Intermezzo, the CFM magazine, and finally wrote her last
column in 2016 after 32 years.
Ruth retired to Phoenix in 2013, then moved to Santa Fe in 2015, where she
loved the sun, the mountains, and especially the small jazz clubs around Santa
Fe. Throughout her life, Ruth was a huge advocate for human rights and
women’s rights. She volunteered with NAES College (Native American
Educational Services) and the Frank Lloyd Wright Society. After Katrina, Ruth
headed a fundraising project to support musicians in New Orleans Women in
Music and was a huge supporter of Southern Poverty Law and Public
Television.
Ruth is survived by her sisters, Carol Hardtke Herriman and Mimi Hardtke
Pantelides (Socrates), daughters, Carole Eddington (Steve) and Wendy Jordan
(Roger Ayres,) grandchildren, Lane Eddington DiBlasi (Shawn), Dan
Eddington (Alison,) and Sarah Jordan Roe (Steven,) and four greatgrandchildren,
Londyn and Atlas Eddington, and Connor and Olivia Roe.
In her 95 years, Ruth has touched so many lives and hearts, that she is being
remembered and celebrated both in Chicago and Santa Fe. Joyously welcomed
into the big band in the sky, her beautiful physical presence will be greatly
missed.
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