Ruth Ellen Martin

Ruth Ellen Martin (68) transitioned from this world peacefully on April 26th, 2021.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Ruth was pre-deceased by her parents (Bud and Ruth) and sister (Pat). She worked for 50 years as a respiratory therapist and was finally ready to retire this month.

If you were fortunate to know her, you no doubt understood her immense love for me (her daughter, Kim), her grandson Sam- on whom the sun rose and set, and her son-in-law Andy who was on the receiving end of many jokes, ribbings, and gag gifts.

My mom loved the Orioles and the Redskins; black jellybeans and Whoppers; fried green tomatoes, steamed crabs, and butter & jelly sandwiches. Though she loved to play Scrabble, she murdered the spoken English language and frequently just made up words. She was Baltimore through and through, hon.

If you needed a kind word, help cleaning your house, or had a plant in need of critical care she was your woman. If you wanted a home-cooked meal other than hotdogs and Kraft mac and cheese you quickly learned to look elsewhere. Turkeys roasted with the giblets bags still inside were not uncommon. And take my word for it, grilled cheese sandwiches with the plastic left on the cheese are inedible.

She had a longtime crush on the actor Sam Elliott and a good-natured disdain for “That chump Elvis Presley.” She had an encyclopedic knowledge of true crime cases and serial killers but couldn’t remember passwords or log-in IDs for anything. She carried her camera everywhere and took lots of not-so-great pictures. She adored cows- waved to them as she drove past, decorated her house with them, and wore cow print shoes and her beloved cow Christmas sweater.

She never met a going out of business sale or free conference give-away she didn’t like. She was always coming over with fistfuls of promotional pens or some odd gadget asking, “Can you use this?” When asked what it was she would invariably respond- “I have no idea but I thought you could use it for…”

Mom was loving and compassionate. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for a friend. She was sarcastic, funny, and kind. She was stronger and more resilient than anyone I know. Life was not easy for her but she faced every challenge with courage and grace.

Her family was her world and a source of immense pride. She adored being Gamma to her Sammy-Sam. She was his partner in crime and his biggest fan. She lived for the Saturday mornings he would call her to come over and play. They’d explore the backyard, pretend to make toy commercials, and stuff themselves on cheese curls and Sponge Bob ice creams.

We will miss her immensely. We can only find comfort in the fact that she is surrounded by light and love, patiently waiting until we meet again.

We will celebrate her life in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please tell us how she impacted your life or your favorite memory of her. These stories will carry us through.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ruth Ellen Martin, please visit our floral store.