Ruth Carter (28 May 1927 - 26 Dec 2018)

In loving memory of Ruth Carter who sadly passed away on 26th December 2018

Born in 1927 in Easton on the Hill, she often thought of the simplicity of life growing up in a village and remarked on how far her life had taken her from these beginnings. Her first job during the war involved clerical work at Blackstone’s Marine Diesels but her artistic talents were quickly recognised and she was given a role as a tracer for complex engineering drawings, some of which we still have and treasure.

She often mentioned the rigours of cycling up and down Wothorpe Hill during the war years; to and from work and the dance halls with her sister Kath. However, once the war was over, the bus became an option and it was on a bus, travelling home from work that her life really began to change. Despite being warned as a child not to talk to strange men, she struck up a conversation with a young RAF Airman she found on the top deck which developed into a love that lasted for over 70 years. Her marriage to Donald took her well beyond her experiences in a small Northamptonshire village to a caravan on the edge of RAF Wittering airfield…… But not for long.

Less than two years later, expecting Linda her first child, her courage was tested for the first of many times as she boarded an aircraft alone to join her husband in Egypt. Billeted in the town of Ismailia during a period of unrest prior to the Suez Crisis, she was called upon to run the gauntlet of rioters and on one occasion defended the house against a burglar. This was the first of many house moves in the UK and abroad pausing only for the births of Judith in Colchester and me at RAF Locking.

The next big test came shortly after Donald was commissioned and immediately posted to Aden leaving Ruth to move house, sell cars and all the other matters required to support her family prior to a move abroad. Aden, as with Egypt was a challenge that she met with her usual courage, living with the daily risks of snipers, bomb attacks and fielding children who lived most of their days in shark infested seas. One incident I cannot remember without a shiver was the 10 inch centipede that she spotted about to crawl under our bedroom door. She killed it with her flip-flop; not sure I’d have wanted to take my shoes off under the same circumstances.

Back in England, Ruth was always willing to travel to help her family, her friends and their cats, however distant. On holiday in Guernsey, she befriended Carina, a young girl from the Netherlands, who became a lifelong friend and shared many good times with the family. When Grandchildren Tom, Annie, Grace & Eleanor came along, she was there on cue and I’m particularly grateful for the many months she spent with my family when my wife was ill. Her support for Donald throughout his career was enormous. Although both worriers, she recognised that one of them had to be outwardly optimistic and took this role for herself despite her inner feelings. In fact this became her role in support of all the family; always seeing the positive and always allaying fears to create calm resolve.

Once Donald retired from the RAF, she was finally able to develop her own career and embarked on what became her great passion; bringing the world of DIY to the unsuspecting residents of Bingham while taking the current manager under her wing when he was a mere youth. She loved working with her lads; loved the banter and was more than capable of holding her own. In fact her sense of fun was well known to family and friends. She has been known to plant a dozen supermarket eggs under hens that weren’t laying to the great surprise of the Groome family ….. until they noticed the Lion stamps. She had incredibly warm relationships with her grandchildren and it was her dry sense of humour that enabled her to bridge the generation gap. In later years, however much pain she was in, medical staff became very familiar with her stand-up comedy routine, all being teased and the handsome nurses and doctors being the object of outrageous flirting.

So, Ruth, we thank you for a life full of love and support for friends and family, a life full of courage and good humour, a life of service and of duty to others. We will always love and remember you.