Obituary of Ruth Harding Brookes

Ruth Harding Brookes died in Brunswick on February 19, 2016. She was born Ruth Harding, the daughter of Gerry and Jennie Clifford Harding, in Prospect Ferry, ME, on March 14, 1915. She attended public school in Stockton Springs, ME, and graduated as valedictorian of her class at the University of Maine, Orono, in 1935. Ruth obtained an MA degree in biology from Boston University in 1936 and taught science in the Bristol, CT, high school from 1936-38. In 1938 she married the Rev. Kenneth Brookes, a Congregational and then UCC minister. They lived in Stony Creek, CT, Westfield, MA, Westborough, MA, and Augusta, ME., where Kenneth served a succession of churches. Ruth was a guidance counselor in public schools in Westborough and Augusta, finishing her career at Cony High School in 1975. She obtained a Masters degree in counseling in 1956. Ruth and Kenneth built their house on Pemaquid Point in 1967 and moved there permanently in 1973. They were both active in the work of the Carpenter’s Boat Shop in Pemaquid, and Ruth volunteered for many years at Miles Memorial Hospital. In 2014 she moved to Sunnybrook Village in Brunswick, ME. She is survived by her four children: Gay Brookes, New York City; Gerry Brookes and his wife Anne, Brunswick, ME; Kenneth Brookes and his wife Ellen, Southwest Harbor, ME, and Katherine Lund, and her husband Ray, Saco, ME; seven grandchildren: Kimberly, Kristen, Jennifer, Stephen, Geoffrey, Peter, and Jason, and 12 great grandchildren. She also leaves two nieces and a nephew and a number of their children and grandchildren. A memorial service and reception will be held March 12 at 11 a.m. at the Congregational Church of Bristol, 1261 Bristol Rd, Bristol Mills 04539. Memorial donations may be made to Carpenter's Boat Shop, 440 Old Country Rd., Pemaquid, ME 04558, or to the Congregational Church of Bristol, where Ruth was an active member.