Obituary of Ruth Geehan

Ruth Agnes Geehan, a woman devoted to her family, passed away at the Glen Ridge Nursing Home in Medford on Friday afternoon, January 27, 2012. She was 90 years old. Ruth was born in Boston the daughter of the late Thomas and Ethel Bell. She grew up in Dorchester. She then lived in Salem for several years before marrying her husband Jim at the age of 19. They settled in Somerville to raise their 5 children. Ruth took great joy in her role as wife, mother, and homemaker. She unselfishly watched over her family. Her home was filled with laughter, music, song, dancing, and sweet aromas from the kitchen. It was when she became a grandmother and great grandmother, that Ruth blossomed. Her role changed from mother to the fun adventurous grandmother who was less concerned about managing the house and family and more concerned about appreciating the grandchildren on their level. She wouldn’t hesitate to get down on the ground to play a game or make a fort with the couch cushions or teaching the kids a clapping song that she learned as a child. Ruth’s other interests included going to Bingo and out to Friendly’s for lunch with family and friends. She had a particularly warm spot in her heart for her animals. She will be lovingly remembered by all the lives she touched. Ruth was the beloved wife of the late late James J. Geehan. She was the devoted mother of Karen Geehan of Plaistow, NH, Cheryl Rich & her husband Walter of Billerica, Dennis Geehan of Snow Camp, NC, Nancy Enos & her husband Lee of Medford and the late James J. Jr & his surviving spouse Margaret Geehan of Townsend. Sister of the late Frances Rosene, Charles and Thomas Bell. She was also survived by 11 grandchildren & 11 great grandchildren. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., Burlington (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 9:15 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in the Immaculate Conception Church, 600 Pleasant St., Malden at 10:30 a.m. Visiting hours Monday 4-8 p.m. Interment in Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford. Memorials in Ruth’s name may be made to Make a Wish Foundation, 1 Bulfinch Place, Suite 100, Boston, MA 02114. www.mass.wish.org For directions, obituary & online guestbook see www.sullivanfuneralhome.net & www.icmalden.com Words of Remembrance read at Ruth's Funeral When we were asked to do the Eulogy for today, Kathleen, Brian and myself were all overwhelmed. In case you haven’t noticed one of our trio is missing. Brian’s ship is currently out to sea, but he had a large part in writing this as she was such an important presence in his life. We started going through pictures and sharing memories of Nana, but how do you put into words all of the love, laughs, memories, sparkly jewelry, lemon frosted donuts, fishamajigs, vacations, wheelchair races in the nursing home and Cinderella games into 5 minutes? How can we express all that she brought into our lives? What we do know is that family and friends are what brought Nana the most joy, and that her world revolved around those she loved. Anything and everything that we did felt like the biggest accomplishment with how much Nana would brag about it, and the amount of ice cream we would eat celebrating. Thinking back on how proud she always was of us it makes us think how proud we are to be her grandchildren, and how blessed we are that Nana helped make us who we are today. It’s impossible to list all of Nana’s amazing characteristics, but one word comes close; superlative. Superlative is defined as the highest quality or degree. Nana is superlative in every essence of the word. Because how many 70 year olds do you know who can teach their grandkids how to jump rope, play basketball, build forts out of couch pillows and drag you around in a close basket pretending you’re Cinderella? Nana had the ability to light up a room with her presence, and of course her bling. Between her infectious laughter, her singing, and her impeccable style you knew it wasn’t a party until Nana was there---with her chicken salad sandwiches. We do not remember a time when Nana was mad or upset about anything. One of the many times she picked us up to go to Friendly’s, her right passenger side mirror fell off of her car. I said, “Nana, your mirror just fell off” and instead of getting mad she simply replied, “It’s ok, I don’t use that one anyway.” Or the time she couldn’t read the exit signs on the highway, so she just stopped in the middle of the highway to read them...and attempted to back up. And even when Brian was being his clumsy self and breaking anything and everything in sight, Nana would put those qualities to good use and brought him to Toys R Us so they could both push the buttons on every single toy that made noise. We know she’s in a better place now and was welcomed by Papa, Uncle Jimmy, Auntie Fran, Uncle Harry, Uncle Chicky and so many more of those she loved. We know they’re partying too hard for Nana to be upset with Dad and Paul McGonagle because now she knows it was you two who stole her car a few years ago. We wouldn’t be who we are today without Nana. She taught us it’s okay to laugh at ourselves, to sing whenever we feel like it--which Michelle definitely does, to dance like it’s nobody’s business, to cherish every minute we have with family and friends, and to enjoy the simple things in life. Our thoughts are ever with you Though you have passed away. And those who loved you dearly Are thinking of you today. Everyday in some small way Memories of you come our way. Though absent, you are always near Still missed, loved and always dear. Your presence we miss, Your memory we treasure, Loving you always, Forgetting you never. While Nana’s world revolved around those she loved, she is now our shining star, our true north, our guardian angel. We love you Nana, you are forever in our hearts. A Glimpse of my Grandmother For those of you who do not know me, to the others that do not recognize me, I’m one of Ruth’s eleven grandchildren. My name is James Geehan and I hope to do my grandmother justice. Born October 8th, 1921. Her family consisted of siblings Tom, Charles, known to everyone as Chick, and Francine. Mom and Dad, Ethel and Thomas. By the age of twelve, she lost her mother and her father sent her to live with her uncle in Vermont for a short stint. Soon after, she moved to Salem, where her sister Fran raised her. At the age of nineteen met James Geehan on a blind date. The rest was history. Married on August 1st 1939. Together they had five children, James, Karen, Cheryl, Dennis and Nancy. Worked for GE Sylvania, Polaroid, and a nurses aide, which only came about because one of the nurses joking said “you should get a job here cause you’re here so much for your 2 boys.” While it was still cool to live in Somerville, they lived on Cooney street and Elm Place. Here at Elm Place is where she spent the bulk of her time raising her family. Later they moved to Piggott Road in Medford. On January 27th 1987 her husband passed. She remained at Piggott road an additional five years. She spent the remainder of her life on Allston Street in Medford. Nana is remembered for: The “I Livey Uppy” song, which she sang to all the children. Her little quirk for placing your new shoes the night before Easter in front of the stove. Couldn’t wait for lunch time and would often talk about where for lunch she was going to go, Friendly’s, Brigham’s or the S & S, well before breakfast was started. When she was a little older, she talked about turning 62 and could not wait for that great day. Ahh yes Social Security !!! Nana drove everywhere. I heard stories of how my dad’s friends would stop all traffic to let her pass through the square when they saw her coming, most likely on her way to lunch of course. Every Friday night she would take my father’s new car to bingo, while he usually stood on the corner watching them pass by. She always made the holidays special. The table would be filled from one end to the other with all kinds of foods. Her house always felt like a home, warm and cheerful. She had tons of knick knacks, and each one had its specific place. One of my fondest memories as a child was trying to stay awake for coffee time. If you were so lucky to accomplish this feat, the table was filled with all kinds of wonderful treats that flowed from the cupboards. Cookies, pies, donuts and some much more, it was endless. She always greeted everyone with a huge smile and loved to talk. The best times were just sitting around the kitchen table playing games and telling stories. Nana was always right in the middle of it all. She loved attention. Whether if you were coming or going, you better made sure you saw her first or else it was the bad list for you. Extremely proud of all her children and their families. Spoke her mind whether it was right or wrong and you never knew what she would say next but you loved her for that. She played many roles in life, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and a friend. Loved by many and loved us all. As if it were destiny or a sign that they were meant to be, nana passed 25 years to the day of her husband. Although letting go is never easy, we all want to thank you for everything you’ve given us, your joy, your laughter, your smile and the memories. I leave you with this one line “Life makes Love work hard.”