Ruth Gene Martyn

Mrs. Ruth Martyn

Mrs. Ruth Martyn died at her home in Oceanside, California, under the hospice care of her devoted daughters in her last weeks of life. The last few years of her life, she battled a recurrence of breast cancer which metastasized to other organs, as well as chronic myeloid leukemia. Having health issues never prevented Ruth from being a loving mother, sister, aunt, neighbor and friend, as she showed love and compassion to everyone she knew, even to the very end of her life.

Ruth was born Ruth Gene Tenniswood in Peck, Michigan in 1938. Her parents, Clint and Marion Tenniswood, raised her with 4 sisters and a brother on a farm in Michigan’s Thumb. Together the family raised crops, dairy cows, sheep, pigs, and horses. While the farm kept everyone busy, her parents also believed in the importance of education, including music education for all the children. They attended a one-room school in Speaker Township, the land for which was donated by Ruth’s grandparents, so it was called the Tenniswood School. Even having skipped a grade, Ruth graduated the Valedictorian of her high school class, disproving the principal of the town high school who thought “country kids” did not always have a good education. Her mother always said Ruth was “the youngest and the smartest” in her graduating class. In her later years, Ruth wrote and told stories of the fun of the one-room schoolhouse and their excellent teacher, Mrs. Munro.

Ruth went on to graduate from Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan, where she received a degree in Music Education. While at Eastern, she was introduced to her husband, Charles Martyn, through a family she babysat for. Ruth and Charlie married on Easter Sunday, 1960, and soon after, she began one of her life’s greatest missions: being a band director’s wife. She settled the question of devotion to her marriage when Charlie was offered an opportunity to tour the Soviet Union and the Middle East for four months. He first turned the tour down, telling the director that he would not go and leave his pregnant wife behind to have their baby without him there.

“Charlie, you have to go. I’ll be fine and my parents will help me,” Ruth insisted. “You will never have an opportunity to do something like this again in life.”

Ruth’s wisdom and fortitude allowed Charlie to have a life-changing experience, and he received her phone call in the city then called Kiev, now called Kyiv, to hear the news of their first child, a daughter named Jeanne Marie.

After the tour, the new family moved to Colorado where Ruth taught junior high music and choral classes, until she became pregnant. Ruth recounted the story that at the time, pregnant women were not allowed to continue teaching in public schools, and she was required to resign her job when her pregnancy began to show.

The family grew when daughter Julie Marion was born, conveniently on a break from Charlie’s touring schedule.

The Martyns next moved to Montgomery, West Virginia, where Ruth continued to be a supportive wife and see her husband through his career as a musician and band master. One of her great gifts was for hospitality. Her memory for the favorite foods of hundreds of guests over the years was remarkable, and she strived to make beautiful meals, whether for the family, a visiting guest conductor or the entire marching band. She decorated beautiful cakes, making the wedding cakes for both daughters, and was a Wilton cake decorating teacher for many years.

Ruth was also the director and teacher for the pre-school program of the Montgomery Presbyterian Church, teaching a generation of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds with wisdom, common sense, love, and discipline to serve them well throughout their lives.

Along with her teaching, and support of her husband and the music program at West Virginia Tech, Ruth was devoted to community service. She was a member of the Junior Women’s Club, and in leadership for the Pilot Club, a service organization for professional women. One of her projects with the Pilot Club was to bring the Lifeline medical alert system to Montgomery and set up dozens of people with the life-saving system.

Ruth was a champion for education in many ways, supporting literacy programs, libraries, along with other service, including the Girl Scouts, where she was the leader of a Brownie Troop for many years.

Ruth and Charlie were able to take early retirements and spent several years traveling in their RV and exploring America. They made two trips to Alaska, crossed the U.S. several times, and also visited Mexico in the RV. Through those years of traveling as well as other trips, they saw all of America’s 50 states and most of the National Parks. While traveling, they considered where they would most like to relocate, eventually deciding on Oceanside, CA. In 2002, they bought a home in Oceanside and spent their final years there, making new friends, exercising every day, and enjoying the temperate weather. Both Ruth and Charlie believed in the health benefits of exercise, and they could be found almost every day at Oceanside Harbor, where Ruth walked 10,000 steps a day until she was 82 years young. Ruth also enjoyed her garden, where she grew beautiful roses and tended a Meyer lemon tree, always sharing the abundant fruit with friends and family.

She retained her grace, intelligence, wisdom and fast wit until the end of her life, recalling many stories of farm life, and also keeping up with the latest in current events. Her daughters especially appreciated her wisdom in seemingly knowing how to handle every situation in life, and her broad knowledge on many topics. She was a supportive, loving mother.

Ruth was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Charlie, who died in 2024; her parents, Clint and Marion Tenniswood, as well as her sister, Elaine Tenniswood Michels, and a brother-in-law, Harold Fitch. She is survived by her daughters, Jeanne Martyn Fink and her husband Bill, of Oceanside, California and Julie Martyn-Donato and her husband Joe, of LaGrangeville, New York. She is also survived by her sister, Janice Fitch of Sandusky, MI; brother Lou Tenniswood and wife Nancy of Goodrich, MI, brother-in-law Marv Michels and wife Camilla of Clinton Township, MI; sister Loretta Keyworth and husband Wayne, of Melvin, MI; and sister Evelyn and husband Ed of Knoxville, TN. She also leaves behind 11 nieces and nephews, many grand-nieces and nephews, as well as many friends and neighbors who will miss her kindness and friendly smile.

Jeanne and Julie extend their heartfelt gratitude to Ruth’s family, friends, and neighbors for their love and support. They also wish to thank Right at Home for providing dedicated caregivers, especially Stacia Girvan, whose kindness and companionship made her a cherished friend to Ruth. The family also appreciates the efforts and kindness of Takara Hospice in helping them to care for Ruth in her home, as was her wish.

Ruth will be cremated and her ashes interred with those of Charlie at Miramar National Cemetery. A memorial service will be planned at a later date.