Ruth Jeffers Wellington died peacefully in her sleep July 25, 2019 at her beloved “Yellow House” in Pike, NH. She was 96. Her winning smile, outgoing temperament, and boundless enthusiasm for life were obvious to all who met her.
Ruth was born at Cottage Hospital in Woodsville, NH, the daughter of Weston and Ethel Jeffers, and moved to Northampton, MA when very young. After schooling at the Northampton School for Girls she graduated from Smith College where she met her future husband, Stephen Wellington of Boston, MA. Shortly after their marriage in 1946 the couple settled in Newton, MA where they raised 5 children. But they made a summer home in Pike, NH at her family’s long-time homestead on Jeffers Hill Road where they ultimately retired in 1972.
She was a tireless volunteer and leader for women, education and the arts. She volunteered for many years for Smith College, rising to the role of Board Member and President of the Alumnae Association. She was a member of the first NH Commission on the Status of Women which led to the initial State-supported services for battered women. She was a founding member of the Women’s Fund of NH and a long-time Board member at the Circle Program–a mentoring and summer-camp program for at-risk girls. She was an early supporter of the Montshire Museum of Science; a Board Member at Canterbury Shaker Village; Board Chair at the Hopkins Center/Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College; and President of River City Arts, the precursor of Northern Stage and igniter of the creative renaissance of White River Jct, VT. Even into her 80s and 90s she continued her community involvement as a supporter of Haverhill Heritage, the Historical Society, and the Drug Court where she was a frequent attendee of graduation ceremonies.
Despite these many commitments, Ruth remained devoted to her life at the 1895 Yellow House in Pike. The house was originally part of her great-grandfather’s dairy farm, now owned by son Weston. For 25 years Ruth and Steve raised Hereford cattle and produced up to 90 gallons of maple syrup each spring.
A true matriarch, she was intimately involved in the lives of her five children, nine grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. She so enjoyed parties and nothing made her happier than a gathering of family and friends, large or small.
She adored New Orleans-style jazz and, in her later years, she traveled repeatedly to jazz festivals in Florida and New Orleans where she eagerly sought out prominent musicians for conversation and autographs. Closer to home, she frequented jazz performances in Massachusetts and NH, forming friendships with many of the performers.
For her family and friends she epitomized family and community values. To the very end, she kept making new friends of all ages, connecting to people from many different backgrounds. She shared with so many an uninhibited affection for life as it should be lived. Her infectious joy, compassion, and gratitude were an unfailing embrace that swept you up and made you want to come back again and again.
On the porch of her Yellow House this past June, celebrating her 96th birthday surrounded by 21 family members, she exhorted those present to revel in the joy that is all around us. “Take note”, she said, “of all the wonders!”