BANGOR and PALO ALTO, Calif. – Ruth Leila (Simpson) Wallace, 91, died peacefully April 12, 2011, in Palo Alto, Calif., with her family at her bedside. Ruth was born Nov. 24, 1919, in Bangor, to Charles Augustus Simpson and Julia (Dowling) Simpson.
Ruth was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was a graduate of Bangor High School and lived for 55 years in the home at 277 Fern St., built by her late husband, Warren Edwin “Whitey” Wallace. In 2008 she went to live with her daughter and son-in-law at their home in Palo Alto, Calif., but she never forgot her friends or her home in Bangor. Ruth was a lifelong member of Order of the Eastern Star and served several terms as worthy matron. She was also an active member of Essex Street Baptist Church and especially enjoyed her association with her friends in the Sunshine Class there. She worked in catering and for 10 years was a supervisor at Canteen Service Co., Bangor. Ruth was a gracious hostess and an excellent cook who always welcomed everyone to her home. She was a special friend and neighbor to many in Bangor and Palo Alto, Calif. After her husband’s death, she traveled frequently to visit her son’s family in Georgia and Florida and her daughter’s family in California. With her daughter and family, she also traveled to Hawaii, England and Scotland.
She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Jeanne Wallace Lepper andProf. Mark Lepper of Palo Alto, Calif.; her son, James E. Wallace of Sarasota, Fla.; three grandchildren, Geoffrey Lepper and his wife, Leslie, Jessica Tolbert and her husband, Jason, and Mathew Wallace; two great-grandchildren, Hutson and Sim Tolbert; many nieces and nephews; and her special great-niece, Tina Guay and her husband, David, and children, Courtney and Ashley. She was predeceased by her husband, Warren Wallace, in 1981; brothers, Kenneth and Gerald Simpson; and sisters, Gertrude Whipple, Charlotte True and Maxine Gass. The family thanks the staff of Lytton Gardens Nursing Home, Palo Alto, Calif., for their outstanding support and care.
Friends may call 3-5 p.m. Monday, April 18, at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor, where a funeral service will be held 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, with the Rev. Randall Wilbur, pastor of Essex Street Baptist Church, officiating. The family invites relatives and friends to share conversation and refreshments at the Family Reception Center of Brookings-Smith, 163 Center St., Bangor, after the service. Interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery, Bangor. Gifts in Ruth’s memory may be made to American Heart Association, Maine Affiliate, Inc., 51 U.S. Route 1, Suite M, Scarborough, ME 04074. Condolences to the family may be expressed at
www.BrookingsSmith.com.