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- Jewel Ruth 'Ruth' Coy, known as Ruth Coy, was the eldest child of Roy and Hazel (Snyder) Coy, born April 3, 1918, at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. They lived in a houseboat on the south side of Portage Bay across from the University of Washington and her father ran a Service Desk at the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co. at 3rd and Union in Seattle. They were a boating family and owned a yacht named the Malola. Roy was a long time member of the Queen City Yacht Club and they later moved to a house on land directly across the street from the Queen City Yacht Club. Every summer their family would spend three weeks going up the inside passage of Vancouver Island to places like Princess Louisa Inlet, one the most beautiful places in the world. She vividly remembered the Earl and Marge Hoffman family that lived at Parks Bay on the west side of Shaw Island across from Friday Harbor. Marge was a school teacher. 'Earl showed us deer at night! -- one day he told me, I have a surprise: It was a brand new new calf. Earl named it Ruth! The Hoffmans had no children and later moved to Friday Harbor.' ---Ruth Coy Mehner. NOTE: A photo of Marge and Earl Hoffman is in Ruth's scrapbook. The Hoffmans moved from their farm near Parts Bay to the north end of Shaw Island to a point in Blind Bay on Harney Channel across from the town of Orcas. They eventually moved to Friday Harbor when Earl took ill Ruth enjoyed drawing and writing and after graduating from Broadway High School, she attended the U of W for three years majoring in Journalism. She had writing some stories for the Saturday Evening Post magazine. She met Bob Mehner her final year of High School and they were married on March 23, 1940 in Ruth's home at 2607 12th Avenue N (now Boyer.) They had three children, Nancy Dorian, born May 5, 1941, in Bremerton, Washington Bob was part owner of the Bremerton Ice , Robert David, born May 8, 1942, in Bremerton and Susan Claire, born August 2, 1948, in Seattle. Ruth was a full-time wife and mother, but volunteered for many things especially at the children's schools. She was a voracious reader and read all the children's classics to her kids. In 1950, the family spent a whole summer in Idaho and visited Yellowstone National Park, Salt Lake City, and Sun Valley. Ruth was an avid boater and Bob's wonderful first mate; you couldn't ask for better. They spent their retirement years boating in the San Juan Islands and Canada, RV-ing in California and Arizona and volunteering at Camp Gilead, a Christian camp near Carnation, Washington. Ruth and Bob lived in a small cottage at the camp and helped full time where ever they were needed. After Bob died, Ruth remained at the camp, helping in various ways. She is still (Nov. 2000) living in that small cottage above the camp by herself. She is doing very well for a lady of her age, however, she no longer helps at the camp as it is hard for her to get around like she use to. Some friends from her church, the Carnation Bible Church, come often and take her to the grocery store and other shopping for things. Ruth keeps her little house very neat and comfortable. At 82 years, she is able to cook for her self and maintain a clean and neat cottage. Ruth had falling while helping at the camping and ended up in the hospital. That really slowed her down. Since coming back to her cottage, John and Nancy Ruhlman requested that Jack, the director of the camp not let Ruth do a thing. Jack said that Ruth could live at her cottage as long as she wished. Ruth has sclerosis and osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition that affects especially older women and is characterized by decrease in bone mass with decreased density and enlargement of bone spaces producing porosity and fragility. The hunching over has interfered with her vocal cords so she talks almost in a whisper. Bob had heart bypass surgery in 1990 recovered fine, but had a heat attack in July 23, 1991 while attending a board meeting of the camp and died 4 days later at Group Health Hospital in Bellevue, Washington.
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