Ruth Evelyn Hiebert Davis, age 96, died peacefully surrounded by her children at her home in Brooksville, Maine on June 19, 2025. Ruth was born April 9, 1929 in Boston, MA to Joelle C. Hiebert and Susie Pauls Hiebert. The Hieberts moved to Lewiston, ME from Boston in 1930. Ruth was the fifth of six children and is survived by her sister, Dorothy Odell of Belfast, ME, as well as her children Serena Davis Hall of Holliston, MA, Jonathan Davis of Bainbridge Island, WA, Christopher Davis of Waldoboro, ME and Margaret Davis Maiden of Blue Hill, ME along with nine grandchildren, eight great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. 

Ruth graduated from Lewiston High School in 1947 where she excelled in academics and the Debate Club. Summers for the Hieberts were spent on a farm in Poland Spring, ME - a place the children dearly loved. Ruth attended Radcliffe College in Cambridge, MA, graduating in 1951 with a degree in Biology. There, she met her future husband Joel P. Davis and they married on August 5, 1950. Together they raised four children in Osterville, MA, instilling a love in them for nature, boats, science and the marine waters around Cape Cod. Ruth and Joel had honeymooned on the island of Cuttyhunk, one of the Elizabeth Islands off Woods Hole. The family routinely vacationed on Cuttyhunk, with Ruth and the children spending summers there and Joel commuting from Osterville by bass boat so that the family could spend long weekends together fishing, sailing and swimming the island’s waters. 

Once the children were fledged, Ruth returned to her love of science, taking on a volunteer position with the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole as the in-house archivist in the world-renowned MBL Library. Ruth was multi-talented with interests ranging from collecting rare glass, sewing, painting, sailing and extended travel with Joel. With a deep passion for polar explorations, they traveled the remote corners of the world including several visits to Antarctica. Ruth and Joel volunteered for ship time on the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessels, travelling to both South and Central American waters. Together, they intensely enjoyed their love of the sea as they sailed the waters of New England including eastern Canada, favoring the waters of Maine on their beloved ketch, Argo. In 1990 they left Cape Cod for Maine, settling in Brooksville. There they enjoyed the local community and continued to cruise Maine waters. They also enjoyed classical music, often hosting students from the local chamber music school, Kneisel Hall.

Ruth was known for her lifelong thirst for learning, becoming a scholar of Greek Mythology in her eighties. When her beloved husband of 65 years passed in 2016, Ruth embraced independent living, participating fully in community activities and projects. She regularly hosted joyful family gatherings and travel. Ruth was known for sharing her good-natured pearls of wisdom. She treated everyone equally, no matter their walk of life. Ruth met every new person with respect, kindness and genuine interest in who they were. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Ruth may be made to Simmering Pot (P.O. Box 112, Blue Hill, ME 04614) or the Blue Hill Heritage Trust (P.O. Box 222, Blue Hill, ME 04614).

Memories and condolences can be shared with the family at directcremationofmaine.com