Ruth Ann Short
FARMINGDALE – Ruth Ann Short, 61, of Farmingdale, died after a short illness on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, at Maine General Medical Center in Augusta with her mother, children, daughter-in-law, and companion at her side.
She was born in Gardiner on Feb. 2, 1961, to Phillip Pratt (deceased) and Gloria Durgin Pratt.
She is survived by her mother Gloria; son Bruce “BJ” (partner Jean Howard), daughter Elizabeth (wife Mia Ward); and younger brother Gary Pratt (fiancée Colleen Anderson); her beloved recent companion in life, Louis Meader; and many others whose lives she touched.
Ruth or “Momma Ruth”, as she was known by many, loved and raised her son Bruce “BJ” Short II and daughter Elizabeth Ward in Vienna, Maine with their father Bruce Short.
She was a loving grandmother to Jozef Short (wife Kiara Short), Zoe Short and James Kelley; and cherished her great grandchildren Zebastian, Autumn, Xzavier and Serenity. Ruth is also survived by lifelong friend Lori Stevens; and close nieces Cynthia Wiley and Melissa Corrigan.
She was predeceased by close nephew Peter Leach and lifelong friend Marcia Smart.
Ruth was loved by everyone who knew her. She loved to cook and made it her career at Edgewood Rehabilitation and Living Center until her low vision made it too difficult. Whoopie Pies, lasagna and Chex Mix were always the top 3 requests. She helped anyone in any way that she could, being Girl Scout Troop leader, volunteering with the Vienna Fire Department for fundraisers, baking goods for bake sales at the Manchester Lions club or crocheting blankets for homeless veterans to name a few. Her service was recognized in 2018 when she received the Spirit of America award at the Maine State House. She also loved road trips to anywhere – driving to or thru 32 states in the US, Mexico and Canada, playing cribbage or dominos and laughing any chance she could. Her smile, positive attitude and heart will be remembered by everyone that knew her.
At Ruth’s request there will be a private service in the spring.
Arrangements are entrusted with Staples Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 53 Brunswick Avenue, Gardiner, Maine. Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the Staples Funeral Home website, http://www.staplesfuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers,
donations may be made in her name to an organization close to her heart:
Manchester Lions Club
PO Box 1
Manchester, ME 04351
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Share your condolences, kind words and remembrances below. You must be logged into the website to comment. Subscribers, please login. Not a subscriber? Register to comment for free or subscribe to support our work.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.