Ruth V. Howe, a resident of St. Andrews Village in Boothbay Harbor, formerly of Eugene, Ore., died February 3, 2014, as the result of a fall. She was 93 years old.

Ruth was born July 27, 1920, in San Francisco, Calif., to Fabian and Frida Peterson. She grew up in Brentwood, Calif., and Portland, Ore. Ruth graduated from Multnomah College in 1940.

On December 15, 1942, Ruth married her college sweetheart, Charles M. Howe, then saw him off to war as an Army Air Corps B-17 pilot. They were not to reunite until the summer of 1945, following his liberation from a German POW camp. Ruth’s intense loyalty and support of her new husband during those difficult years were characteristic of the steadfastness and love that she displayed throughout her life to family and friends alike.

After the war, Ruth and Charles lived in suburbs of Portland, where Ruth was wife, homemaker, and mother to her two beloved children. In 1962, the family moved to Eugene, where Ruth became the administrative assistant to the Lane County district attorney, a position she held until the early 1970s.

Following retirement, Ruth applied herself diligently to gardening, reading, crafts and enjoying the company of her husband and many friends. In 2011, when she could no longer live independently in her home, Ruth moved to St. Andrews Village Assisted Living in Boothbay Harbor to be near her family. Ruth grew to love the seacoast of Maine and took great pleasure in boat rides and lobster dinners.

Ruth is remembered for her beautiful smile, her keen sense of humor, her sensitivity to the situations of others and her eagerness to help them. Ruth and Charles became surrogate parents and grandparents to countless neighbors and friends in need of advice and support.

Ruth lost her husband in 2007. She was also predeceased by her son, Charles Jr.

She is survived and sadly missed by her loving daughter and son-in-law, Carol and John Maxwell, of Old Saybrook, Conn., and Boothbay Harbor.

The family wishes to thank the excellent, unparalleled caregivers of St. Andrews Village and the dedicated staff of Miles Memorial Hospital for the loving care that they provided Ruth during her time there. Ruth will be greatly missed by the new friends she made in Maine, as well as the old friends she left behind in her beloved Eugene.

Ruth will be laid to rest in the family mausoleum at Riverview Cemetery in Portland, Ore. At her request, no service will be held.