Ruth Tomima (Garriock) Coghill

To Sue and Karen and all the family:- I was shocked to hear of Ruth’s passing. Before Christmas I phoned her and we had a good chat and some laughs. I treasured her as a neighbour and friend. She was in our bridge group and we often went out for lunch together. Thank you for giving me the lovely scarf. I’ll treasure it. Ruth adored you all and was so proud of each one of you. May she rest in peace and may God hold you all in the palm of his hand. With my deepest sympathy and my love, Dorothy

What a wonderful woman, a true “lady” in every sense. with such wonderful memories of our visits but deep sadness at her death. Sympathies to Sue and family. David McKane

As a grandmother, Ruth was a constant presence in my life and that of my younger brother, Craig. In our earlier years, she would look after us when our parents were out for the evening. She attended birthday parties and the occasional family dinner, and routinely invited us over for lunches, barbeques, and afternoon swims in her condominium pool on hot summer days. We always looked forward to seeing “Nanna”. She was a very kind and caring individual, and a lot of fun to hang around with. I remember feeling spoiled when we were at her house, because she would offer us treats in the middle of the afternoon. Her weapons of choice were Coca-Cola, Ruffles Chips, and Cheesies. She also used to winter in Bermuda, and we enjoyed visiting her there.

In my formative years, Ruth played an important role in teaching me responsibility. Among other things, she did this by selling me her car, infamously for a single dollar, with the promise that I would take very good care of it and use it responsibly. With a few minor but surely anticipated exceptions, I believe I accomplished just that. That car provided me with a sense of independence, and opened up many opportunities for me.

In her twilight years, Ruth was a powerful inspiration in my life. As many people know, she suffered a series of setbacks over the course of many years with varying degrees of severity. Despite this, she continually bounced back, retaining a good quality of life for many years. Through these instances, she taught me the power of positivity, perseverance and determination. She is the most resilient person I have ever known, and I look upon her with great admiration.

Despite her age and gradual decline in health, Ruth remained active in our lives in our adult years. She took great pleasure in enjoying our company and learning of our various achievements. In a sense, she lived vicariously through us. As my brother and I now live in Toronto, we made sure to visit her each time we came home. Ruth turned this into a “favourite grand-son” competition, whether she realizes it or not, which essentially came down to who visited the most and was the most clean-shaven.

Ruth had the great fortune of living a very long and prosperous life. Her death came just a few weeks shy of her 97th birthday, and just a few hours short of 2014. She lived long enough to see her four grand-children grow to become successful young adults, and had the unique opportunity to see her first great grand-daughter grow to become a very sharp, mature, intelligent, and beautiful young lady (8 years-old). Ruth travelled the world over the course of many years, and enjoyed many experiences that all too few are fortunate enough to have.

My last memory of my Nanna is of a visit that my mother, brother and I shared on December 24th. For the first time, we felt she was too weak to make the trip to our family home for Christmas Dinner, and we wanted to ensure that we spent some quality time with her. Our visit was memorable because we had a good chat, laughed, spoke with her daughter (my aunt from Virginia) on the telephone, exchanged Christmas gifts, and recited “The Night Before Christmas” (one of her favourite holiday traditions). After some time, we brought her to her dinner table, which she shared with a few friends at the retirement home. We said our goodbyes, planning to visit again the following day. She went peacefully to sleep that evening, and continued to sleep until her death a few days later.

I will always cherish the memories I have with my Nanna. May she rest in peace.