Mary Lee Ruddle of Franklin and a long-time resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, where she taught high school English literature, composition, and creative writing for 27 years at Northwood High School, passed peacefully supported by family on June 17 at Frederick Health Hospital in Frederick, Maryland, at the age 95.
She was born on April 11, 1927, and spent her early years on the family farm in Ruddle with her eight siblings. Both of her parents were teachers, and her father, Newton “Dick” Ruddle served as sheriff of Pendleton County for a term, and her mother, Mary Dunkle Ruddle, was a West Virginia Mother of the Year.
An appreciation and respect for learning and education was deeply ingrained in the family. An avid student, she was the valedictorian of the Franklin High School class of 1945. She was able to attend Davis & Elkins College in part due to a Reader’s Digest scholarship and another from the Presbyterian Church. She was the editor of the school paper her senior year, graduated magna cum laude in 1950, and later received her master’s degree in English from West Virginia University.
Her teaching career began in Warm Springs, Virginia, and then continued at Petersburg High School in Petersburg for five years. Since she did not know how to drive or own a car, the mail truck from Franklin would pick her up early in the morning, deliver her to Petersburg, and pick her back up on its return from Cumberland, Maryland. Then she moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, learned to drive, bought a Ford Galaxy, and began teaching English at Northwood High School. She encouraged her students to enter local and national writing contests where many received awards, and she was once herself awarded a Smith-Corona typewriter in recognition of her support of these writers. She had a profound and lasting impact on her students, many of whom kept in contact with her. Some have become journalists, playwrights, and college professors, and many of them attribute their love and appreciation of good writing and literature to her teaching. However, very few of these now adult students feel comfortable calling her by her first name due to the respect and perhaps a touch of fear she instilled in them. As one former student wrote, “She was strict, but not too strict, witty but not silly, and a teacher who managed to keep the attention of a group of teenagers whose minds were usually on anything but English literature.” To them, she will always be “Miss Ruddle.”
During summers and other holidays, she would return home to Franklin often with a few of her many nieces and nephews in tow and always with one or two of her beloved cats. She and her sister, Carolyn, loved to garden and planted an extensive plot that provided plenty of produce for canning and freezing. They both loved to travel, visiting Europe and the Soviet Union. While her sister coordinated the Audubon Christmas Bird Counts for Pendleton County, she organized the bird feeder watchers once her sister was no longer able. With the Brooks Bird Club, the sisters made several bird watching trips to Arizona, England, Scotland, Wales and other spots.
Miss Ruddle retired from Montgomery County Public Schools in 1989 and permanently moved back to Franklin to live with her sister, and their beloved brother, Newton. Both sisters were always grateful for their life situations and wanted to help those who were not as fortunate. She was a generous contributor to many charities and philanthropic organizations. She had a keen interest in politics and was outspoken in her beliefs and views on issues. She focused her energies on the ministries of the Franklin Presbyterian Church, where she helped lead the choir for many years, compiled a history of the church, and held an honorary life membership in the Presbyterian Women. Her keen intellect, love of learning, and amazing memory remained with her, so much so that often her age astonished those she met.
Survivors include two sisters, Joann Rinaldi of Adamstown, Maryland, and Nancy Walker of Vienna, Virginia;13 nieces and nephews, Caroline Cline of Poolesville, Maryland, Marilyn McGhee of Alpine, Texas, William McGhee of Rockville, Maryland, Victoria Alten of Cornwallville, New York, Elizabeth Burdick of Barnesville, Maryland, Beverly Cook of Palatine, Illinois, Don Richard of Chicago, Illinois, John Richard and Susan Tegtmeier, both of Lexington, Kentucky, Lisa Ernest of Cordova, Tennessee, Suzanne Pantzer of Vienna, Virginia, Sean Walker of Houston, Texas, and Dan Walker, Jr. of Fairfax, Virginia; and many grand-nieces and -nephews.
She was also preceded in death by her sisters, Helen McGhee, Eloise Richard and Carolyn Ruddle; her brothers, Stanley Ralph Ruddle in infancy, Maurice Ruddle and Newton Decatur Ruddle, Jr.; and a nephew, Charles William Rinaldi.
Family and friends will be received at a visitation from 6 – 8 p.m. on July 7 at Kimble Funeral Home in Franklin. A celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. July 8 at the Franklin Presbyterian Church in Franklin. Interment will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Franklin.
Condolences can be sent to https://www.kimblefuneralhome.com/guestbook/mary-ruddle.
