Ruth Moulton Ragan passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on July 6, 2023, at the age of 96 following a short illness.
Ruth was born in Lewiston, Maine on Oct. 10, 1926. She was the daughter of Edward B. and Helen F. Moulton. She was predeceased by her husband, Ralph Ragan, in 2014. She is survived by a brother, Sumner Moulton (Lisa); her three children – Julia Malkin, Jennifer Hubbell (Richard), James Ragan (Sandra); grandchildren Nathaniel Hubbell (Sarah), Laura Hubbell Cunningham (Michael), Emily Malkin (Ryan Singer), Elizabeth Malkin (Antony Dumaine), Kathleen Hager (Aaron), Timothy Ragan (Tyler Pepin); great grandchildren Adelaide Singer, Maeve Singer, Emmeline Hubbell, Ethan Hubbell, Sophia Cunningham and Margaux Dumaine.
Ruth graduated from Deering High School in Portland, Maine and from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. She majored in English, a fact that she liked to remind her children when their grammar went astray. After graduation in 1947, she ventured to Boston, where she worked as a secretary at the Harvard Business School.
She met her husband, Ralph Ragan, through a blind date. They were married in Portland, Maine in 1950.
Ruth and Ralph built their home in Lincoln, MA where they raised their three children. Ruth was a proud and devoted mother, wife, and homemaker, and engaged in community activities including Girl Scouts, church and the Lincoln Historical Society. She was a long-time member of the Trinitarian Congregational Church in Concord, where she served as secretary of TriCon for several years.
Ruth was a writer and author, avid reader, and student of history. She worked as a reporter for the Lincoln Fence Viewer. After her children left for college, she completed a graduate course at Northeastern University in oral history. Her course project was selected for presentation at the annual Massachusetts Oral History Conference. Her book, “Voiceprints of Lincoln, Memories of an Old Massachusetts Town and It’s Unique Response to Industrial America,” was published by the Lincoln Historical Society and distributed by Northeastern University Press. At the time of her death, she was working on an oral history of Bates College during World War II.
In retirement, Ruth and Ralph enjoyed spending summers at their beloved Chebeague Island cottage in Maine and winters in Florida in their motor home. They moved to Carleton-Willard Village in Bedford, where they found a supportive and caring community and environment and, for many years, chaired annual fund raising for employee appreciation.
Ruth is remembered by all for her sunny smile, kindness, warmth and gentle perseverance.
A Memorial Service will be held at the Chebeague Island Community Church at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 15.
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