It is with great sadness and much difficulty that I must announce to the world of Science Fiction the passing of my Aunt Ruthie. She slipped away in her sleep today, during the night. Yesterday [Jan. 4] was her 81st birthday. To tell you I have so many fond memories of her as I was growing up is a huge understatement. She and my Uncle David used to fly me from Newark, New Jersey, to Potsdam, New York, on Mohawk Airlines, then Allegheny, then US Air, to live with them during the summer months of school recess. A lot of my childhood and formative years were spent reading Sci Fi books in bed at night. The cool evening winds of the North Country breezed lightly through my open window. Aunt Ruthie and Uncle David had a veritable library that overflowed the myriad shelves of books in many of the rooms of their spacious and well appointed home. As a young man, my mind was filled with fantastic fantasies that sprang to life with each passing page. It was time spent there that my fascination with the genre blossomed. My uncle is 91-years-old now, soon to be 92, and retired from writing, but they were equally instrumental in helping develop my keen imagination and avid interest in writing. It was not unusual to have dinner guests like Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. Back then, they were just ordinary people to me.
Aunt Ruthie was an exceptional cook, too. Every meal was a gourmet adventure through Europe; England, Spain, Italy and beyond. As a matter of fact, they lived in England for several years, on the Thames River. It was a perfect place for an author to write.
I talked to Kerry, AC and Uncle David today. I’ll tell you, it wasn’t easy. God knows how much I love my aunt. My cousins, AC and Kerry, have lost their mother. Today, she belongs to God and the stars - the stars I used to visit every night in my own vivid space odysseys in upstate New York and beyond. The sci fi world has lost one of their most cherished fans.
God Bless You, Aunt Ruthie. Thank you.
The family is requesting that small donations may be made in her name to her beloved church of 50 years:
Trinity Church
8 Maple Street, Potsdam, NY 13676-1181
†
Ruth Kyle and David A. Kyle at Millennium Philcon (2001)