Ruth Redmond

Ruth Audrenne Ward Redmond, 92, of Port Huron, died Saturday, March 19, 2022.

She was born July 11, 1929, the only child of Wayman and Estelle Ward.

In Ruth’s early education in Detroit, she took piano lessons, played baseball and sang in the choirs. In later education she pursued journalism and music. While employed by General Motors she married Robert Jerome (Jerry) Redmond in 1949. In 1962, his work took them and their 2 children to India where Ruth became involved in musical theater raising money for Indian charities (her daughter adds in leading lady starring roles). Back in the states her husband’s work took them to Grand Rapids, Michigan where she ran a statewide piano competition, supervised a school-visiting string quartet/quintet, taught Community Education and worked for Malecki Music Inc. her husband’s retirement took them to Sarnia, Ontario where she looked after her mother and stepfather until their deaths. Ruth and her husband became active in the Tea Party after they moved to Port Huron in the 1990’s and she began writing books with 2 now published. She became a widow in 2018 and resided in her home in her daughter’s care until her death. She will rest next to her husband in Lakeside Cemetery on Lake Huron. She leaves son Jeffery, a daughter Joan, and cousins.

Words from her daughter: my mother was a lifelong very high level reader of the classics, biographies and autobiographies, she usually also knew research about the authors and details as to “who, what, when, where, and why”. Mother was a huge fan of classical music radio. She served tirelessly as volunteer for many years to realistically help build an American Regional Orchestra, which in turn, resulting to the extreme patronage of others, employed many professional musicians and staff. One of her many remarkable accomplishments was an encyclopedic like ability to discuss facts and people of classic Broadway shows and also the Golden Era of movies - well into decades that followed the 1930’s talkies & Classics. She and Dad travelled extensively around the world in earlier years. In recent decades they toured all over the USA together in various campers, finally a huge tour in a “dad modified” van that worked perfectly for their own evolved and cultivated travel plans.

During high school in the 1940’s Ruth acquired fluent Spanish. She did much of her schoolwork in the school office during WWII where she was the student telephone answer person. She and Dad were co-editors of their high school newspaper during WWII and attended Newsreels in the theaters on Saturday so as to learn the recent news and report it to their fellow students at school. Also, in high school, she often sang on Detroit radio in a triple-trio directed by (eventually Wayne U. Choirmaster) Harry Langford “HERC” to the kids at their school in his first teaching job. Harry sang a solo “Through the Years” by Vincent Youmans at Ruth and Jerry’s 1949 wedding. Meanwhile, during these years Daniel Greer grew up with his family in the lower flat of the house where Ruth lived upstairs with her parents. Dan later became the organist to the Detroit Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons. It was indeed a musical upbringing and environment for Ruth, my mother.

One of her favorite radio shows to her very last days was the ongoing weekly Saturday afternoon Met Opera Broadcast from NYC via Canadian radio which she never, ever missed. Devoted to her family and extended family. She really loved to keep in touch by postal mail especially for holidays, birthdays and special occasions, also in touch all the time with many true friends and all the time with her cousins.

My mother was truly an extraordinary lady and a gracious, Great American.

Words from her son; our mother was the hub of the family, coordinating and organizing everything all the time. We lived in several different countries, and she always kept things going. Our father died 3 years ago in March, and so she decided to join him in March.

In my up and down life she was an active part, and often had useful advice. She liked me getting books published, getting college degrees, and getting married. I enjoyed good conversations with her, and she was knowledgeable about many things. We were fortunate to have had both our parents for so long. Most people do not. We had a mother who loved us, and always helped us all she could. We will miss her.

Arrangements are by Karrer-Simpson Funeral Home. To send condolences, visit karrersimpson.com