Ruth N. Nelson Bailey

Ruth (Nelson) Bailey, 95, of Cranston, passed away September 6, 2024 at Scandinavian Rehabilitation & Skilled Nursing in Cranston, RI. Born in Hartford, CT on February 27, 1929, Ruth was raised in Waterbury, CT by Thilda and Sven Nelson, where she attended Webster Grammar School and graduated from Wilby High School.  

A lifelong writer and singer, Ruth worked on the Wilby High School newspaper and traveled around New England from Zion Lutheran Church in Waterbury performing with the Luther League Chorus and writing for the New England-wide church paper. After graduating from Upsala College in East Orange, NJ, she worked as a reporter for the Waterbury Republican, where she met her former husband, the late Merrill R. Bailey, Jr.  After a short time in Los Angeles, CA, they moved to Warwick, RI and in 1967, bought her beloved home on Spring Garden Street, where she lived until 2023.  She was a long-time member of Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Warwick, where she sang in the choir.  Later in life, Ruth had a second career in the Brown University Graduate Admissions Office, until her retirement.

Ruth loved many things – a good book, singing, the print newspaper (especially the comics), writing, cats, Boggle, NPR, pastry, oysters, Camp Calumet and all things Pawtuxet Village.  She was a contributor to the Pawtuxet Village Association’s The Bridge and a devotee of Gaspee Days and Pawtuxet Cove.  

Ruth is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth and her husband Paul Brodeur of Melrose, MA, her grandsons, Ethan and Samuel and her grand-dog Wilbur.  She was pre-deceased by her son David M. Bailey of Providence, RI and her cousin Shirley (Nelson) Kean of Waterbury, CT.

Ruth was truly interested in the world and everyone around her and she made lifelong friends wherever she went.  She will be deeply missed by all who knew her, but especially by her family and those from Pawtuxet Village who knew and loved her best. 

Many thanks to all of Ruth’s friends who cared for her so deeply and watched over her in her later years on Spring Garden Street, as well as to all of the staff at Scandinavian Communities who treated her with such kindness and compassion over the past year and a half.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, September 20, 2024 at 11 am at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 1817 Warwick Ave., Warwick. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ruth’s memory to Scandinavian Home, Inc., 1811 Broad Street, Cranston, RI 02905 or https://www.scandinaviancommunities.org/ or to Calumet Lutheran Ministries, P.O. 236, West Ossipee, NH 03890 or https://www.calumet.org/.

Arrangements by the Jones-Walton-Sheridan Funeral Home, 1895 Broad Street, Cranston, RI. Please visit: JWSFH.COM

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