Ruth Naomi Werner of Riverhead died Oct. 27, 2017. She was 93 years old.
She was born July 14, 1924 in Halifax, Pennsylvania to Aaron and Annie (Campbell) Straw.
She met her future husband Harry Werner in 1944 while working in the photography department for the U.S. Air Force in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Ruth worked for many years in the Riverhead office of the Suffolk County Mental Health Clinic.
She was an avid Yankees fan and enjoyed watching ballgames on TV and cheering on her favorite player, Derek Jeter. Ruth was also a longtime parishioner of the First Congregational Church of Riverhead, and she spent many years volunteering in the Alley Cat Thrift Shop.
She loved to travel and would collect salt-and-pepper shakers from all the places she visited around the world. One of Ruth’s most cherished traveling memories was to the Swiss Alps and her adventures with her daughters to places such as the Grand Canyon and the West Coast. Another favorite destination was Hawaii.
She had quite the green thumb and was the go-to person for bringing plants back to life, and she especially enjoyed red geraniums.
Watching birds outside of her window was a favorite hobby, and she was astute in spotting red cardinals in her yard.
Predeceased by her husband in 1984 and her son Larry in 1994, she is survived by her daughters, Luann Seaman, Linda Ginter and Patricia Stevens, by her son Harry, and by 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
The family will receive visitors on Monday, Oct. 30 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Tuthill-Mangano Funeral Home in Riverhead. A funeral service will be held at the funeral home on Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 11 a.m. (Family and friends are asked to arrive at the funeral home at 10:30 a.m.)
Interment will follow at Calverton National Cemetery.
