Marguerite Ruhf Obituary

Marguerite A. Ruhf of Allentown passed away peacefully at Phoebe Home Nursing and Rehab. Ctr. on April 7, 2016 at the age of 95. She lived previously at Country Meadows Allentown for the past four years. She was the last of the "Greatest Generation" in both the Holland/Albright and Ruhf/Lindstrom families of Allentown. Born in Easton on March 25, 1921, "Rete" was the daughter of the late Steward Holland and Lucy (Albright) Holland. At an early age her family moved to a farm in the Poconos where she enjoyed the animals and the outdoors in all seasons. When her father died in 1928, the family moved to Allentown to the Albright/Cleaver home on S. 7th St. She attended Livingston Elementary, Central Junior High and was a 1939 graduate of Allentown High School. She graduated from Kutztown State Teachers College in 1943 with a B.S. in Arts and Science. She taught Art and English for one year in Tunkhannock at all grade levels. She was a World War II recruit for the Army Emergency Training Program in Occupational Therapy and received her certificate from the Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy as part of the University of Pennsylvania. Rete served her internship and then was employed as a civilian O.T. in the Crile Army Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, specializing in burn treatment and neuro-psychiatric disorders. At the end of the war, she married Army Captain Robert J. Ruhf of Allentown. They had celebrated 56 years of marriage before his death in 2003. As a newlywed, Rete continued her long and outstanding career in Occupational Therapy in the Allentown area. She was one of the first O.T.s to work with both children and adults at the Good Shepherd Home, these years coinciding with the polio epidemic. After starting her family, she served as staff therapist and then director of the Lehigh County Crippled Children's Nursery School for physically handicapped preschoolers: to help them prepare to attend public school. She originated and directed the summer day camp program for handicapped children, "Camp Withagrin", for 10 years starting in 1952. Several Ruhf family members worked, volunteered, or attended as staff children at the camp. She was the director of the Allentown General Hospital's first pediatric playroom program for in-patient children. In 1956 she took a turn in her career, moving from pediatric focus to geriatrics. She initiated the first O.T. program at Cedarbrook County Home and Hospital for the Chronically Ill and Indigent. She provided 30 years of dedicated service, developing the department from a staff of one, with a basket and craft supply locker, to a staff of thirteen providing supportive, restorative and diversional programs to meet the needs of elderly patients. Due to her supervision of Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants and O.T. aides, she was on the Advisory Committee for the C.O.T.A. program at Lehigh County Community College. She trained and hired many students during their affiliations at Cedarbrook. After her retirement from Cedarbrook in 1986 she continued with providing consultation services to area private nursing homes. Rete was a civic minded woman as she offered her time and considerable talents to Girl Scouts, Allentown Hospital Junior Aides, Civic Little Theatre, Lehigh Crippled Children Society, Lehigh County Mental Health Society, Pennsylvania O.T. Association and Lehigh County Senior Center. Because of her unique outlook on life, her own life was enriched by family, friends, love of cats, art, music, theatre, photography (some award winning), crafts, doll houses for granddaughters, travel, Tai Chi, games, sewing, decorating, entertaining, dancing, biking, and swimming in the Delaware River at her favorite place in the world: the Ruhf family cottage at Foul Rift, Pa. Rete and her husband Bob traveled all over the world to experience the culture and lives of other people. They continued decades of relationships and visits with dear friends from Germany, England, Belgium, the Netherlands and Australia. Rete made photo albums to share their experiences and to preserve the pleasant memories of their travels and how it enriched their lives. Survivors: survived by her only child, Lucinda Lindstrom (Ruhf) and husband John Hackler of Ipswich, Ma. , three granddaughters: Lisbeth (Hackler) and husband Frank Candido of Ipswich, Jill (Hackler) and husband Justin Israelite of Beverly, Ma. and Robyn Hackler and partner Timothy Davis of Manchester, Nh., two great grandchildren Olivia Ellen and Caleb Robert Israelite of Beverly, Ma. Also survived by sixteen nieces and nephews including Barbara (Holland) and Dr. Charles Peters, Nancy (Gehringer) and Daniel Stover, Ann (Gehringer) Vlot and Matthew Green, Barbara (Gehringer) and Dr. Daniel Lowe, Charles and Lee Warne, Ellen (Ruhf) and William Shurr and Elliot and Carolyn Davis - all who live locally and have been very generous with their time caring about her and helping out in times of need. Special niece, Robin Ruhf and Hilton Caston of New Haven, CT and cousin Bert Lindstrom of Pittsburgh. Marguerite is survived by thirty grand nieces and nephews (with newest due to arrive in May) including Lauren Vlot of Allentown who continued to visit her great aunt at the nursing home. She was preceded in death by siblings and their spouses: brother Steward Holland, Jr. and wife Alma (Wuchter), sister Dorothy (Holland) Gehringer and husband John, and cousin Elizabeth Straub. Her in-laws, Charles T. and Edna (Lindstrom) Ruhf, Richard and Sally (Ruhe) Ruhf, Lawrence and Evelyn (Nuver) Ruhf, Elizabeth (Ruhf) and Woodrow Warne and Doris (Ruhf) and Thomas Davis, and nephew John "Jack" Ruhf. Services: 10:00 am Friday April, 15, Trexler Funeral Home, 1625 Highland St., Allentown. Calling 9:00 to 10:00 am. Interment: Grandview Cemetery, Allentown. Contributions: Memorial gifts would be welcomed by: Girl Scouts of Eastern PA L.V. Service Center 2633 Moravian Ave. Allentown,18103 or No-kill Animal Shelter of choice