Obituary of Ruth I. Stafford

Ruth I. Stafford, a retired Nurse, passed away on Friday morning, October 19, 2018 at the Marlborough Hospital. She was 84 years old. Ruth was born in Woburn. She was the daughter of John and Bernice Doherty.  She grew up in Woburn and was a graduate of Woburn High School.  She then went to get her nursing degree from the Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of Nursing.  Over the years, she has worked in a number of institutions and various fields from Pediatrics, Geriatrics, General Internal, and Surgical.  She had worked at Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Lawrence Memorial Hospital, and the Fairlawn Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.  No matter what kind of nursing she was engaged in, her patients were assured and comforted with the care, compassion, knowledge, and skill she showed to each one as well as their families. 

As well as being a nurse, Ruth was a wonderful homemaker which was sometimes challenging being the wife of a career military person.  As an Army wife, she made a home for her family wherever they were stationed including 6 years in Germany.  She made the best of any situation made the most of her opportunities, like touring Europe while stationed there.   She did not settled down until 1967 when Al, her husband, retired from the Army and they moved to Burlington.  She continued to share that adventurous side with her children.  The trips she planned were fun, but always had an educational side to them.  She enjoyed exploring the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the shores of Cape Cod, Pennsylvania, Canada, Niagara Falls, Bermuda, Scotland, England, and Ireland.  She and her husband, Al, packed up their station wagon and their daughters and spent their summer vacation touring across the United States.  Visiting as many

She was a loving and caring mother always offering advice and help.  She was a fun and entertaining grandmother and she often joked that the grandkids were attending “Camp Grammie”.  Even when they were adults, they would come back to “Camp Grammie” for extended stays.  She had some old school hobbies like reading, knitting, crochet and cooking for family and friends. She also enjoyed learning her younger family member’s new activities like Facebook and playing games on the computer. She enjoyed following sports The Red Sox, Patriots and Bruins rarely missing a game on TV. Her favorite, however, was watching her grandchildren’s sports and activities. Sitting in the stands, on the sidelines, and in the audience supporting and cheering for them. Even as she approached her passing, she still was thinking of each of her family member’s wellbeing and offered some last bits of wisdom and advice. That was how she lived her entire life, thinking of others first.

Ruth was the beloved wife of the late Ellwood V. “Al” Stafford. She was the loving mother of John Stafford of Littleton, CO, Lawrence Stafford & his wife Michelle of Stow, Lynda Fawcett & her fiancé William Caporellie of Rising Sun, MD, and Patricia Werner & her husband Kevin of Hudson. She was the sister of Herald Doherty of Wakefield and the late Benjamin Doherty. She was the proud “Grammie” to Meghan & Jack Stafford, Robert & Katherine Fawcett, and Phillip & Nicholas Werner.  Visiting hours will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., Burlington (exit 34 off Rt. 128/95, Woburn side) on Sunday, Oct. 21 from 4-7 p.m. Funeral services will be at the Sullivan Funeral Home on Monday, Oct. 22 at 10 a.m.  Funeral services will conclude with a burial in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. For directions obituary & online guestbook see www.sullivanfuneralhome.net