Auger, Ruth Cornell

Age 98, formally of Sherborn, MA, died peacefully on August 15, 2023, at Piper Shores in Scarborough, ME. Ruth was born in Boston, MA, on January 29, 1925, to Charles Henry Cornell and Ruth Thompson Cornell. She was predeceased by her husband of 54 years Donald O Auger. Ruth was raised in Jamaica Plain and Needham, MA. After graduating from Needham High School in 1941, she earned a BA in English Literature from Mount Holyoke College (1945) and a MA in English and Education from Wellesley College (1950). She taught high school English in Falmouth and Wellesley, MA, and was a guidance counselor at Classical High School in Springfield, MA. After marrying in August 1960, she and Donald lived in Wellesley and Needham before moving to Sherborn, MA, where they resided for 37 years raising their family. She and Donald were proud members of St Mary's Episcopal Church in Newton, MA for 17 years. In 2007, she and Donald moved north to South Portland, ME and then to Piper Shores in Scarborough, ME, where she lived for 15 years.

Ruth always had a connection to the sea and was immensely proud of her heritage. Her grandfather was a lighthouse keeper on Thatcher's Island in Rockport, MA, at the time her mother was born (1892). The family brought the new baby ashore to the island in a dory at 3 days old. Her uncle, Rear Admiral John W Thompson, was a former President of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (1959-1964). Ruth adored time spent on or near the ocean swimming, sailing & beach walking. Her love of lighthouses and their history led to many visits up and down the East Coast and beyond with Donald and family. Ruth had a love of travel. She embarked on a tour of Europe with her mother just after the end of WWII, mapped out numerous fun but educational family road trips, and in later years traveled with Donald to the Panama Canal, Europe, Iceland, Scandinavia, and Alaska. Ruth had a love of flowers and a passion for her perennial gardens. She often spent hours outdoors emersed in her gardens, working on projects with the local garden club or touring famous gardens. As an educator, Ruth was a constant teacher- while raising her girls, she tutored students in English, evaluated students for learning disabilities, read to elderly folks in nursing homes and volunteered as a Girl Scout & band mother. She enjoyed young people and often was like a second mother to her daughters' friends and extended family.

She is survived by her daughters Suzanne Manory and her husband Joseph of Grantham, NH, and Sarah Ellison and her husband John of Cumberland, ME. She was also blessed with three loving grandchildren; William and Andrew Manory, and Michaela Ellison all of whom brought her great joy and pride. She is also survived by a niece, Patricia Balcom Buttner of Amesbury, MA.

Relatives and friends are invited to a memorial service on Saturday, September 16, 2023 at 11:00 am at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 258 Concord Street, Newton, MA. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Mary's Permanent Endowment Fund in Ruth's name. Arrangements made by the Hobbs Funeral Home, 230 Cottage Road, South Portland, ME.