Ruth Florence O'Neill

Ruth O’Neill nee Clark was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on Feb. 25, 1927. The youngest of four girls, she was raised by a single mom who supported the family by working in a nylon factory. Some of her earliest memories were of making homemade ice cream with her sisters and eating rhubarb fresh from their garden after dipping it in sugar.

Ruth approached the world with an open mind, unafraid to embark on journeys that were almost unheard-of for a woman from her time. After graduating from the Iowa Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in 1948, she moved to New York City to obtain a Master of Arts in nursing from Columbia University in 1954. She drove her car from Iowa to New York only to discover there was nowhere to park it — so at the end of her first semester she drove it back to Iowa and left it there.

After receiving her Master’s, Ruth moved to the Bay Area, where she worked as a pediatric nurse at Children’s Hospital in Oakland. In 1963, she was hired as an assistant professor of nursing at San Francisco State University, where she taught for more than 30 years before retiring as an associate professor emeritus in 1994. She then worked for several years on the pediatric ward of San Francisco General Hospital.

Outside of her career, Ruth’s life was dedicated to her only child, Bruce. She loved him fiercely and did her best to give the world to him: she provided the best education possible, both traditional and environmental, she took him to the mountains to learn to ski despite being a novice herself; she got him a dog; she put him in Boy Scouts to learn about camping – anything she could think of, she did.

After marrying her second husband, Al Weber, they cared for their granddaughter Jinhe. When Jinhe started school, Ruth and Al moved to Seattle to be closer to Bruce’s family, where they spent countless hours with his five children. During recent years, Ruth doted on her great-grandchildren, always making sure her apartment had toys for them and lighting up when they came to visit.

Ruth pursued her own ongoing education throughout her life, especially through reading, and regularly reached the library card hold limit of 50. She always endeavored to expand her worldview, exploring new ideas and perspectives.

Ruth listened closely to people’s stories and always had a clever quip or insightful takeaway at the end. She also loved gardens and gardening. She thought nutrition and exercise were important, and neighbors knew her from her daily walks. And she always enjoyed playing bridge — at the Wallingford Senior Center, at University House in Wallingford, and with her grandchildren.

Ruth is preceded in death by her mother, Helen, her three sisters, Marjorie, Margaret, and Patricia, and her second husband Al Weber. She is survived by her son Bruce O’Neill; his children Emma, Eilís, Brenna, Aidan, and Declan, and their partners; and five great-grandchildren — Ella, Grant, Connor, Eamon, and Adina Mae. They all loved her and will miss her incredibly.