Ruth Marie Baughman

Ruth Marie Baughman was born in Grand Junction on December 15, 1933, the ninth of ten children, born to Irvin and Eula Baughman. She graduated from Grand Junction High School in 1953. Ruth attended Mesa College for a year before she transferred to St. Mark's Hospital and Westminster College in Salt Lake City for another year. Then she went to the University of Colorado where she received her BS in nursing in June of 1958. After graduation, she worked as a nurse in Grand Junction at St. Mary's Hospital for a year before she moved to New York City and worked at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital for a year. One of Ruth's biggest adventures was in 1958 when she traveled with two friends to Europe on the Queen Elizabeth, the world's largest liner at that time, and returned on the Queen Mary. One of Ruth's greatest memories occurred on May 3, 1960 when Ruth sang at Carnegie Hall with the Oratorio Society of New York commemorating 70 years of concerts in Carnegie Hall. It was to have been the last performance at Carnegie Hall before it was demolished in favor of a new Music and Art Center in Central Park. Efforts were made to save Carnegie Hall and just a month later the City of New York purchased Carnegie Hall and saved this acoustical treasure where both soft and loud tones are projected to any location in the hall with equal clarity and richness. Ruth always felt privileged to have sung at Carnegie Hall. Ruth said that after a year in New York City, she ""ran out of money"" and returned to Colorado to work as a nurse at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction for another year. Then she moved to Denver where she lived ever since. She began working at the Veteran's Hospital and worked there for five years before taking a position as a private scrub nurse for Dr. Harry Boyd, a neurosurgeon. She was his private nurse for six years. Then she was a surgical nurse at St. Joseph's Hospital for 20 years where she assisted with many state-of-the-art surgeries such as transplants and open heart surgeries. She was a charge nurse for a portion of that time. After Ruth retired she lived with her sister Shirley Jones for many years. Following her sister's death, Ruth moved in 2005 to a patio home at the Eastern Star Masonic Retirement Home in Denver where she served on the board and as Secretary for many years. Ruth was a member of New Hope Community Church where she enjoyed meeting with the church ladies and writing letters to our soldiers serving abroad. For the past several years Ruth has resided at Mountain Vista Medical Center in Wheat Ridge where she received outstanding care from their very dedicated and compassionate staff. Ruth always enjoyed feeding the birds and occasionally had to chase raccoons away from her store of seed. She enjoyed spending time at the family cabin on Grand Mesa and at her brother Wayne's ranch in Golden Gate Canyon. Ruth also enjoyed classical music and held season tickets to the Denver Symphony Orchestra and later the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Ruth passed from life to eternal life on the evening of April 7, 2014. Ruth is survived by her sister, Beth Darnell of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and three sisters-in-law, Lena (Wayne) Baughman of Golden, Colorado, Frances (Robert) Baughman and Mary (Theodore) Baughman both of Grand Junction, Colorado, as well as 22 nieces and nephews. Ruth was predeceased by eight of her nine siblings: Lois Baughman, Robert Baughman, Theodore Baughman, Mildred (and John) Wilkenson, Wayne Baughman, Dorothy Baughman, Richard (and Marilyn) Baughman, and Shirley (Robert) Jones, and one nephew, Lawrence Baughman. Ruth was always very generous with donations to Christian ministries such as Samaritan's Purse and various food banks, to veteran's groups such as the Disabled American Veterans, and to medical research foundations such as the MS Foundation. Donations to any of these kinds of charities in lieu of flowers would be appreciated by the family. The family will hold a grave-side service on April 26th at 11:00 a.m. at the Grand Junction Masonic Cemetery. Please share your memories of Ruth and condolences with her family by signing the Guestbook below.