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Obituary – Ruth C. French

Posted on July 24, 2008 by Staff

Ruth C. French passed away on July 18, 2008 in her home with her family. Born December 14, 1910 in North Tarrytown, NY, Ruth was the eldest daughter to Archibald Eastwood Chace, MD and Ruth Lombard.

She lived in Tarrytown, NY and Texarkana, AR before moving to southern California, where she majored in art and music at Long Beach Junior College and UCLA. Just prior to World War II, she became the first female Production Planner for North American Aviation on the B-25 Mitchell bombers and P-51 Mustangs.

After the war, she moved to Greenwich, CT, where she lived for the next 40 years. She served as an assistant editor for Funk & Wagnall’s; then an executive administrative assistant at American Cyanamid; and retired after 20 years as the assistant to the administrator of The Greenwich Hospital. After retirement, Mrs. French moved to Chapel Hill, NC and was a member of Shared Living, before moving to her daughter’s home in Browns Summit.

Her retirement offered opportunities for painting, music, volunteering, traveling, and especially, enjoying her daughter and granddaughter.

She was best known for facing challenges with grace, embodying old-school lady likeness yet still unknowingly paving the way for women’s rights, her stylish bent in art and clothing and her extensive travel. She was known for being young and ahead in spite of her years (was surfing the web in her 90s); fantastic stories filled with the history of our country and family; her candor, humor and independence, always learning and taking classes; her love and devotion; and to all her granddaughter’s friends, she was known as “Grammy.” Her remarkable life was as filled as anyone could dream of and her absence will be felt forever.

Surviving are her daughter, Ann Lombard French Kelk of Browns Summit; granddaughter, Elizabeth Chace Kelk of Charlotte; sisters Anita Chace Lippold of Fresno, CA and Margaret Chace Corbett of Dallas, TX, as well as beloved nieces, nephews and their children.

Memorials may be sent to Environmental Defense, 257 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010, or an organization of your choice.

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