Published in the September 21, 2018 edition
MELROSE — On September 16, 12 days after her 96th birthday, we lost Ruth E. Hussey formerly of Everett.
Known to all as “Gram” or “Aunt Ruthie,” she was born the eighth of nine children on September 4, 1922 in Dubois, Pa. Tragically, at the age of four, while her father, Edward Faulkner, was in Massachusetts preparing to move his family to Everett, his wife, Myrtle (Stoddard) and her 10th child were lost during childbirth. The nine children (Margaret Boyer, Edward Faulkner, Jim Faulkner, Grace Polito, Ione Neale, Ethel Parent, Olive Faulkner, and Willian Faulkner) were raised by their single father through the Great Depression and with kind gestures from the community.
She graduated from Everett High in 1942, married and had five children (Chuck Hussey, Carl Hussey, George Hussey, Pat Hussey and Jeanne Lake) and a beloved chicken, Jessie. In 1952, her legacy began with the purchase of two cottages on Beaver Lake in Derry, N.H. On a Sunday drive with her sister, Ione Neale, and children, the cottages were found. The set of three cottages were perfect for her children to play at and the family to gather. Her sisters, Ione and Olive Faulkner, decided to buy one, so Ruth purchased the other two to allow the kids to play freely in the shared yard. Years later, she gifted her second cottage to her nephew, Norman Neale, uniting two branches of the family for generations to come. Family was Ruth’s legacy and keeping family close was her pride.
From hosting the holidays to expanding her kitchen to 22 feet long in order to accommodate routine family gatherings, Ruth was the magnet that drew family closer and the glue that kept it together. She nurtured her family in every way imaginable. Both times she moved from Massachusetts was to help support her family. After the early and unexpected passing of her son-in-law, she moved to Rhode Island to help raise two of her grandchildren, Mike and Kim Lake, and then moved to California to care for her younger brother, Bill. She returned to Massachusetts and never left again, except for her vacations.
She loved to travel and explored much of the world by cruise. She was very proud of having been on 14 cruises—from Europe and the Caribbean to Alaska, she never met a cruise she did not like. “You only pay one price,” she would say with great enthusiasm. She traveled to Ireland, Switzerland, Australia, Hawaii (on multiple occasions), Central America and many more wonderful locations.
It was the simple things that made her most happy—a box of Whitman or Russel Stover chocolates; a bag of KitKats; playing a card game, Michigan Rummy or Rummikub; a visit or call from a loved one; eating; thinking about what to eat next; watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy; finding a good bargain; lilacs; pineapple upside-down cake; and ice cream (never vanilla, but plenty of sundaes… banana splits, brownie bowls, strawberry, etc.). She shared this philosophy of simplicity in her many “Gram-isms”: “no sense in crying over spilled milk;” “Don’t cut your nose to spite your face;” “you only tell truth, when a lie won’t fit;” “ you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink;” “it’s too late to lock the barn door after the horse has left;” “don’t put the cart before the horse;” and her favorite…”respect your elders.”
Ruth always put others first. From her days as a nurse’s assistant at Malden Hospital, she learned the skills she applied to family, friends and others as she helped many people age in their homes. And so it was well-deserved and only fitting that she passed peacefully in her daughters’ home in Melrose with both daughters and two of her grandchildren at her side.
Left behind to carry on her legacy of family, caring for others, and belief that you are never too old to be young are her five children, 11 grandchildren (John Hussey, Chris Hussey, David Hussey, Linda Hussey, George Bradbury, Jason Paquette, Michael Lake, Lisa Paquette, Kimberly Lake, James Farina, and Rachel Hussey), nine great-grandchildren and many nieces, nephews, relatives, and loved ones.
Visiting hours will be held at the Gately Funeral Home, 79 W. Foster Street, Melrose on Thursday, September 20 from 4-8 p.m. A funeral service will be held at the Gately Funeral Home on Friday, September 21 at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are warmly invited to attend. Burial at Puritan Lawn Cemetery, Peabody. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Arthritis Foundation (29 Crafts St # 450, Newton, MA 02458). For directions and full obituary visit www.gatelyfh.com
