Ruth Kilpatrick Paige

Ruth Kilpatrick Paige (Ruthie) was born on the 10th of June 1928 in Milton, Massachusetts. She was the third and youngest daughter of George and Norah (Blake) Kilpatrick, and the fifth of the nine girl cousins of her generation. Adventurous, athletic, curious, and strong, Ruth cherished her family and never met anyone who didn’t want her as a friend. Her generosity of spirit, time and advice had many seeking her warmth, comfort and self-taught knowledge of healthy lifestyles.

She, her two sisters Georgina and Marion and six cousins grew up as sisters, exploring the surroundings of Montclair, Milton, Neponset and Quincy in an age where children didn’t come home before dusk. Riding bikes through the farms of Milton, swimming in the Neponset River, majorette practice at North and watching her grandmother cook (neither she nor her mother were allowed in the kitchen and her children paid for that throughout their childhood) were all part of an idyllic childhood that feels centuries in the past. The Depression never seemed to touch them, certainly was never discussed. The greater family grew their own vegetables and shared whatever they had. She and her sisters reworked their hats weekly for the Sunday service at Atlantic Methodist Church. She became a master seamstress and after her marriage to Howard Paige, made wedding dresses at home.

Ruth and Howard had three children, Wendy Paige, Lorraine (Paige) Minardi and Howard Paige, Jr., who they raised in North Quincy and Scituate. Throughout her life, Ruth maintained a very active lifestyle, attending the Quincy YMCA, adopting yoga with its spiritual adjuncts as a young mother and becoming quite the good golfer. She played in various leagues with Furnace Brook and Wollaston Golf Clubs and eventually in Florida at BayHill Country Club and Ventura. Much later she was an honorary member at the Carnegie Club in Scotland, playing there and at Royal Dornoch in her eighties. She loved golf for the freedom it gave her and was an excellent teacher.

After her divorce, Ruth left Florida and moved to California where she started a whole new life, making many new friends and maintaining her independence by driving herself into her eighties. She eventually joined her daughter Lorraine and her husband Tony in Florida and later in Austin, Texas, entering assisted living in 2021. She died July 6, 2023 following a fall.