Plan for the Future
Ruth Marie Anello, age 88, passed away peacefully on December 15th in Madison, NJ. Born in Union City the daughter of Marie and Paul Hofmann. Ruth grew up in Union City and graduated from Memorial High School in 1954. On June 8th, 1958, she married the love of her life Frank Anello and moved to Secaucus where they raised their family. Frank sadly passed on March 31st, 2003. She is survived by her daughter Karen Riemer and her husband Scott Riemer, her son Paul Anello and his wife Vicky Anello. Ruth was blessed with four grandchildren Brittany Riemer, Lindsay Riemer, Julia Anello, and Frankie Anello. Ruth continued to live in Secaucus until January 2020 when she moved to Chatham and then to Madison for the past year.
Known as “Ruthie” by her friends and family, she was the consummate wife, mother, grandmother, and mother-in-law. Everyone loved Ruthie. She always had an energetic, cheerful outlook and special spirit about her. Ruth had a life full of special memories and impacted so many people along the way. Below are just a few of the highlights.
Ruth was an only child and sadly lost her father Paul during her senior year in High School. She took on responsibility for her mother Marie (“Molly”) from an early age. Ruth’s family was most important to her. This not only included her own mother, cousins (Elaine, Ray, Judy, Janice), aunts, and uncles but also her husband Frank’s family after they were married. Creating family traditions were always a priority. She was the consummate host routinely taking on responsibility for every major holiday and birthday. There was no celebration too big or too small and “Ruthie” made it special every time. She could host fifty people on Christmas Eve followed by twenty people on Christmas without an issue.
Although Ruth attained her secretarial certification and worked for several years, caring for people was clearly her passion. She was one of the most selfless and generous people you would ever find. She would routinely put the needs of others ahead of her own. When Frank, her husband, was diagnosed with Dystonia in 1982, her love and support for him never wavered helping him through many difficult and challenging times until his passing in 2003. As her own mother (Molly), mother-in-law (Millie), sister-in-law (Marie), aunts (Frieda, Rosie, Ella) and friends (Rose) aged and faced their own health issues, “nurse” Ruth was the one who took on responsibility for their care.
Ruth always put her two children as her priority. She cared for them, protected them, taught them, and guided them. She was by no means a push over but always knew how to provide guidance in the nurturing way. She and her husband Frank always wanted to make their children’s lives better while still making sure they knew the importance of working hard, of being caring and of respecting others. She celebrated every milestone and was the “first with a hug” when things did not work out. Traveling provided special memories for the family. Ruth planned all the family trips mapping out every trip and hotel (well before Google Maps and the internet) and maintained a passion for traveling well into her late 70’s.
Ruth was a dedicated friend and remained in close contact and had endless special memories with her best friends Barbara Zullo, Marie “Mim” Savino, Lucille Relovsky and Bernadette “Bernie” Perrone. They remained friends for over 70 years. As they watched their own families grow and their lives get busy, they still maintained a unique bond that was truly special. One that she cherished and would last up to her very last day.
Ruth loved her grandchildren dearly. She became their number one fan no matter what the sport or extracurricular activity was. She was often driving the girls to their dance classes, showing up at major competitions and to sporting events. Her “grand kids” were always the “best out there,” the “smartest,” the “prettiest” or the most “handsome.” The refs “always missed the call” at sporting events and was known to be relatively vocal about it. Her grand kids could do no wrong in her eyes and no one could tell her any different.
On a lighter note, her love for her NY Yankees and NY Giants was always clear. She attended Yankee games with her friends as a teenager and her passion for the Yankee pinstripes never wavered. Her husband Frank introduced Ruth to the NY Giants and football quickly became one of her sports passions as well. Even after his sudden passing in 2003, Ruth continued the tradition and continued to attend Giants games with “his” friends and then eventually “her” friends for nearly fifteen years.
Born Protestant, she converted to Catholicism after marrying Frank. Back in the day that was no small task. But her deep faith and belief in God was unwavering. She was an active church goer and was truly the moral compass of her family growing up. Ruth volunteered with church activities when they needed help always wanting to give to others who were less fortunate. Her strong faith helped her thru all the challenges she faced in life until her final days.
“Ruth”, “Ruthie”, “Mom”, “Grandma” will be truly missed but her memories will last a lifetime.
