Ruth S Gilman Born Ruth Mary Sutherland in 1919 in Jackson, Michigan, Ruth was a longtime resident of Lawrenceville, NJ before moving to Skillman, NJ. Daughter of Lena Boardman and Frank Sutherland, she became the first college graduate in her family, graduating from the University of Illinois in 1940, where she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority. During WWII Ruth served as a Lieutenant – JG in the U.S. Coast Guard (Reserve), and she was in the first class of Spar officers who graduated from Officer Candidate School at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT. Ruth returned to Decatur, Illinois after WWII and was introduced to a Naval officer, Frederick Gilman, by his cousin, Joanne Baird. Ruth and Fred were married in Decatur in 1947. Within a year she and Fred set out from Decatur on a lifelong journey that lasted 66 years, until Fred died in 2014. Ruth is survived by her children Joanna Strauss (William), Thomas Gilman (Gigi), Martha Yarberry (Scott), and grandchildren Aric and Neal Yarberry, and Grace and Quinn Gilman. In addition, she is survived by her sister-in-law, Annette Sutherland of Kokomo, Indiana and a niece and six nephews, children of Annette (and Ruth’s brother Frank) and Fred’s sister Carolyn and her husband Thomas Irish. Ruth and Fred instilled in their children a lifelong love of learning, and one of their greatest gifts was an education. They also loved to travel. In the early years of their marriage, the two of them with three rowdy children in the back of a station wagon traveled to the far corners of the United States, always stopping at historic sites and one or two universities, planting the seed for further education. In later years, Ruth and Fred traveled throughout the US and Europe. In addition to many family celebrations, they hosted two memorable anniversary parties for their family, the 50th and 60th, the first in Bermuda, their favorite winter vacation spot. Ruth was an avid reader and loved biographies and mysteries. She enjoyed playing golf with Fred and her many friends. From her mother and father she picked up her love of and talent for bridge, and shared many evenings of bridge with Fred and their friends. Ruth was a member of the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, NJ, the Hopewell Valley Golf Club, and a volunteer at Capital Health System at Mercer. A memorial service will be held on May 28, 2016 at Illini Congregation Church in Warrensburg, Illinois. Burial will be at Illini Cemetery, Warrensburg, Illinois. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, NJ or to the charity of one’s choice. Arrangements are under the direction of The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.
