Johnston, Ruth Anderson Wells; 1912-2013. Ruth died peacefully February 8, 2013, with her dear friend Ray Webber at hand, two weeks short of her 101st birthday. She was predeceased by her siblings Jeanne Prat, Carden Wells and Yvonne Morley. Ruth was born February 22, 1912 in St. Mark’s Parish, Minnedosa, Manitoba; eldest child of Bishop George Anderson Wells and Charlotte Gertrude Wells (nee McDonell). In 1919, Ruth lived in Mayfield Cottage, Witley, Surrey, England while her father was a Chaplain in the Canadian Army during World War One. In the fall of 1919 the family returned back to Canada. Following her graduation with a B.A. from St. John’s College, Winnipeg in 1933, she became a teacher of art at Rupert’s Land College in Winnipeg. When World War Two broke out, she was in London, England employed by Harrods in their advertising department. “Everyone was joining up, so I thought I ought to as well.” 1940 found her as a Flight Officer in the Royal Air Force stationed at Kenley, a key base for the fighter defence of London during the Battle of Britain.
When the West Central Hotel was bombed on December 29, 1940, Ruth and her father were residents. His autobiography, “The Fighting Bishop”, records, “Ruth kept the ladies entertained and quiet by playing selections on the piano for them all during the holocaust. I was very proud of her.”
Ruth was further employed in a variety of roles during the war including duty at Bletchley Park and Cairo, Egypt in 1943. In 1944, she accompanied her father, now Chaplain of the Fleet (R.C.N.), to a dinner hosted by Admiral Andrew Cunningham in his villa overlooking Naples, built by Admiral Horatio Nelson for Lady Hamilton. In 1946, Ruth was posted by the R.A.F. to Washington, DC and then, upon her discharge in 1947, she worked for the Ontario Government Travel and Publicity Department.
Around this time, Ruth travelled to Kenya where her younger sister Mary Yvonne and her husband Christopher Penrose Morley were managing the Pease Estate Farm. While there, she met and later became engaged to Maurice Oswald Johnston, formerly a Lysander pilot in the R.A.F. In 1956, Ruth and Maurice married at Rongai, Kenya and, learning Swahili, they lived at Jacaranda Farm, Londiani, producing pyrethrum, the organic insecticide produced from a species of chrysanthemum.
In 1964, after the tragic death of her husband, she sold the farm and returned to Canada settling in Toronto. At that time, she made a home and cared for the four grandchildren of Sir Charles Symonds who had recently lost their parents. The four Symonds children were Jim 17, Ann 15, Elizabeth 12 and Susan 6. As the children grew up and left home to pursue their own future, so did Ruth. In 1973 Ruth left Toronto to settle into a home in the Village of Elora. Her door was always open to friends and family who ventured in to enjoy her hearty homemade soups and listen to her colourful stories of travel and life experiences. She loved her piano and was an accomplished artist who captured snapshots of her life and travels in whimsical drawings that became her signature to many. During this period she was an active member of the St. John’s Anglican Church and huge supporter of the community. Her contributions were numerous and included the partnership of the Nightingale Tea Shop on Mill Street that marked the beginning of the restoration of Mill Street commerce, to volunteer support for the Elora Three Centuries Festival.
Ruth retired to Victoria in 1988. She became a volunteer at Christ Church Cathedral and she helped to organize Exhibition Openings at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria as a member of the Gallery’s Volunteer Committee.
The last six years of her life were spent at Mt. Tolmie Extended Care where she was cared for with the greatest kindness by all the staff.
Ruth is immediately survived by her niece Andrea Morley and her nephews Christopher, Stephen and George Wells. She will be sadly missed by her extended family Susan Symonds-Try, Reginald Try, Annette Symonds, Elizabeth Samuel, Ruth Symonds; Detlef, Stefan and Kristian Schnepel.
She was a remarkable woman of charm, wit and natural elegance. Her character was deep and her capacity for friendship profound. No one who knew Ruth will ever forget her.
A Choral Evensong will be held to celebrate the life of Ruth Johnston on Thursday, February 28th at 6:30pm at the Elora St John’s Anglican Church followed by a reception.
Donations can be made to the following:
The Ruth Johnston Memorial Fund
c/o St John’s Anglican Church,
36 Henderson St,
Elora, ON N0B 1S0
Nyota – Donations may be made to Nyota, which provides a home and education outreach for destitute children in rural Kenya.
Speroway
525 Southgate Drive
Guelph, Ontario N1G 3W6
Phone No. : 1.877.382.2262
Email Address : nyota@speroway.com