Sister Mary Ruth 

Sister Mary Ruth                       ND 6647                          PDF Download

Ruth Marie BOES

Mary Immaculate Province, Toledo, Ohio, USA

Date and Place of Birth:            November 11, 1956      Tiffin, Ohio
Date and Place of Profession: January 14, 1979           Toledo, Ohio
Date and Place of Death:           July 3, 2020                   Toledo, Ohio

I am with you always Matthew 28:20

“The more we allow God alone to possess our hearts, the more we desire to be poor, free from attachment to earthly goods and ready to share them generously with others.” These words from the Constitutions of the Sisters of Notre Dame describe Sister Mary Ruth. Quite unexpectedly God called Sister home after a very recent diagnosis of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Born in Tiffin, Ohio, Sister was the oldest of nine children of the late Bernard and Agnes (Naderer) Boes. She attended St. Mary Elementary School Kirby and Notre Dame Academy Toledo as an aspirant. She entered the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1975 and professed vows in January 1979.

From 1980-1995 Sister enjoyed her years as an elementary teacher for students in grades 2 to 8 in the Toledo Diocese and Michigan. From 1996-2004 Sister served as receptionist at Maria Early Learning Center in Toledo, where she interacted with the young children as they developed necessary life-skills and grew in their unique personalities.

In 2005 Sister Ruth began her loved ministry of serving the disadvantaged children and adults at Sunshine Children’s Home in Maumee, where she loved the clients and the staff. She dedicated many hours to ministering to special adults in their homes through food preparation, transportation, companionship, and sharing times of prayer and spirituality. Sister Ruth gave her whole heart and soul to whatever she did, living the beatitude “Blessed are the poor in spirit” whether in prayer, yard work, or advocating for her clients.

Sister’s deep faith in God manifested itself in the contemplative reflections she composed in her writings and drawings. Praying the rosary with her family each Wednesday evening in recent months gave witness to her dedicated love for Mary.

Sister Ruth was involved in music ministry at parish liturgies, participated in an immersion experience in India, and served on various committees as needed by Sunshine INC ministry. Most recently she fulfilled the needs of the times by making hundreds of face coverings for the Sisters, elderly parents of the Sisters, and many others in need.

Sister was recently diagnosed with cancer and was beginning her chemotherapy treatments. She had lovingly surrendered her days into the hands of her Creator and accepted this sudden change in her daily lifestyle. She was no longer in charge. May she enjoy the embrace and compassion of her loving God.