Ruth Anne Van Buren

Ruth Anne (Fallon) Van Buren, age 100, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 27, 2019 at the Miriam Boyd Parlin Hospice Residence in Wayland, Massachusetts.  Born on September 23, 1918 in Brooklyn, New York, she was the daughter of the late Thomas B. and Winifred C. (Clynes) Fallon.  The second of four children, Ruth grew up playing baseball with her brother Jim (the late James Fallon), and doting over her baby sister Marie (the late Marie Connelie) with her older sister and best friend Wini (the late Winifred Doherty).

 

Ruth received her R.N. degree from Mary Immaculate Hospital School of Nursing in Jamaica, Queens, New York in 1939. Her life long love of, and dedication to, children manifested itself in her choice of working in the neonatal unit of Mary Immaculate Hospital once she received her nursing license.

 

Ruth met her husband John (the late John J. Van Buren, M.D.) at Mary Immaculate Hospital.  Throughout their sixty-two years of marriage they shared a deep faith and a loving bond, raised eight children and appreciated the blessings of a large extended family and many friends.

 

Ruth’s insatiable thirst for knowledge and understanding led her to explore fields of health, such as nutrition and yoga, decades before they became popular. The search for answers and solutions continued throughout her life.  In her nineties, Ruth explored therapies of acupuncture and neurotransmitter analysis to address health concerns.

 

Ruth’s compassion, empathy and wisdom touched and enriched the lives of many during her lifetime.  Her faith and integrity established a moral compass and guiding light for her children and their children.

 

Ruth was the loving mother of Marie E. Mee and her husband, John F., of Concord, MA;  John J. Van Buren of Redondo Beach, CA;  James T. Van Buren and his wife, Gail, of Fairhaven, MA;  Judith A. Ostan and her husband, William S., of Bradenton, FL;  Kathleen M. Van Buren Ritter and her husband, Andrew J. Ritter, of Holliston, MA;  Teresa A. Van Buren and her husband, Henry T. Sachs, of Walpole, MA;  Margaret Dillon and her husband, David A., of Norfolk, MA;  and the late Joseph M. Van Buren.

 

Ruth was the cherished grandmother of seventeen and great-grandmother of twenty children.

 

All services are private at the request of Ruth’s family.  Her interment will be with her late husband John at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA. 

 

In lieu of flowers, donations in Ruth’s memory may be made to Smile Train at https://www.smiletrain.org/ or to the Miriam Boyd Parlin Hospice Residence at https://parmenterfoundation.org/.