Ruth Schooley
Friday July 18th 2008, 10:09 pm
Filed under: Friends

waving my circs in Ruth\'s honor

I hadn’t checked out her blog in a couple of months.  I wish I had.  Looking today, I find she had a fiberarts blogroll of only a dozen blogs–and one was mine.  That means a lot to me.

Her youngest was the same age as my third child.

Five years ago this week and last, I was in the hospital in critical condition, and Ruth Schooley, one of the listmoms of the Knitlist, was checking up on me. I had a Hiptop, the first of the cellphones to hit the market that did email (etc, etc). It was my link to the outside world, once I had the strength again to type into it.  Lying down at first, unable to handle its weight, then, as I got better, eventually I was able to sit up to type back to her and to a few others who weren’t afraid to hear about life at its far edges.  I could read my Knitlist messages and still feel a sense of belonging to my previous normal life outside Stanford Hospital, and Ruth forwarded a few from me to the list so that my phone’s addy wouldn’t be exposed to the whole world.  Much comfort came my way from that.

She was always the voice of calmness in any storm.  She was always one to come immediately help out.  At her most piqued, she would wave her dpns in the air and remind us that she had pointy sticks and she knew how to use them.  The laughter always helped.

Ruth posted on her blog on July 14.  Monday.

Tuesday she was suddenly gone.

I do not know the details. I do know she touched many, many knitters who take part in the online community, and she will be sorely missed.  To the Rocketman and to the children, I, along with many others, grieve with you; you are not alone.  Ruth saw to that.


16 Comments so far
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Horrible- sudden, ( a blood clot in the lung), so sad for those of us left behind. Ruth will be missed by those she knew and those she only “knew” in cyber space. As I traverse the cyber world of knitters and spinners, the news of her passing is spreading and the world is a little poorer place.

Comment by Laura in Alameda, CA 07.18.08 @ 11:00 pm

Oh, how sad. Thank you for posting about it…

Comment by Amanda 07.19.08 @ 4:40 am

Thank you for sharing your story and the link to her blog. Reading the entries from her vacation gave me a feeling of her spirit. I wish you and her family peace.

Comment by Kathy 07.19.08 @ 6:55 am

Wow, in a blink how suddenly things can change. My thoughts and prayers are with her family. And with you on the loss of your friend.

Comment by heather 07.19.08 @ 7:32 am

I wish I had had the chance to know her.

Comment by Michelle 07.19.08 @ 8:16 am

Thank you for sharing Ruth with us.
I have used many patterns that started on the Knitlist, even though i never was a member, it was a good place.

Comment by Diana Troldahl 07.19.08 @ 10:24 am

I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry for your loss of a dear friend.

Comment by Lynn 07.19.08 @ 12:37 pm

I am so sorry for the loss of your’s and many other’s friend. As long as you remember her she wont really be gone, she will always reside in your heart. Love to you and all who are missing her.

Comment by Danielle from SW MO 07.19.08 @ 2:49 pm

I’m so sorry! Thanks for letting us know.

Comment by RobinM 07.19.08 @ 4:17 pm

I don’t know which is worse–sudden and completely unexpected, or prolonged and expected. Probably both are worse. But even if she wasn’t prepared for a sudden death, it sounds like she was very well prepared for the next life, where she will find herself in a place where she fits right in.

Comment by Laura 07.19.08 @ 4:30 pm

So sorry, Alison. May her family/loved ones and friends find comfort in the happy memories. It’s a wake up call to many to enjoy and appreciate each day.

Comment by Joansie 07.19.08 @ 6:42 pm

Oh, Alison, I am so sorry for your loss and that of all who will miss Ruth. I’ve been reading the fabulous book you shared with me, Kitchen Table Wisdom and thought of a line I read yesterday: “I guess anything good you’ve ever been given is yours forever.” It seems Ruth’s generosity and kindness will be forever for many. Thank you for sharing her with us AND Rachel Remen with me.

Comment by Tunie 07.19.08 @ 7:44 pm

When someone you love passes, sometimes it helps to realize how lucky you were to have had the chance to know them and to hold that joy close in your sorrow.

Comment by Wunx~ 07.20.08 @ 12:59 am

Alison, Thank you for posting. My Knitlist lurking goes back to 1993 I think so Ruth was well known to me as a Listmom with a great voice of reason. Thanks for sharing your Ruth thoughts.

Comment by Luanne 07.20.08 @ 7:47 am

I am so very sorry for your loss. Thanks for giving those of us who never knew her a glimpse into her life, at least as a listmom. I pray for peace for all who mourn.

Comment by Channon 07.20.08 @ 8:48 am

Thank you to everyone for your kind words and thoughts. Ruth was my cousin. She was raised in KS. I was raised in IN. As a result, I did not know her well. But we shared a love for fiber arts. I do know and love her mother, so I have sent her mother an email telling her to visit your site, I know she will be conforted by the love you all had for Ruthie.

Comment by Roseanne 07.28.08 @ 5:41 am



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