Tag Archives: Ruth Deming

Washer of the dead

Ruth Deming Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, United States   Dead bodies were nothing new to Sarah Washington. As a registered nurse, she peacefully viewed the stunning poses of the dead at her first job, a suburban hospital that closed shortly after she was hired. God had chosen her, she was assured, as she closed the eyes […]

Sugar High and Low

Ruth Deming Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, United States   On one of the hottest Augusts on record my daughter and I sat mopping our brows in the famous White Dog café. We had walked from Thirtieth Street Station in Philadelphia to this, our occasional meeting place. She was from Brooklyn and was my closest confidante. From […]

Since I could not stop death, he kindly stopped for me

Ruth Deming Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, United States   Never were two sisters as close as Lori and I. It hardly mattered we were married and had our husbands, our passel of kids, and each earned a nice living at our jobs. Lori owned a string of nail salons in suburban Philadelphia called “Lorelei’s” while I […]

Letter to Johnny from Clara Barton

Clara Barton and Col. John J. Elwell Ruth Deming Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, United States   July 15, 1865 (four months to the day after President Lincoln was shot) Dear Johnny, I am tired. Dog tired. At your behest, I am sending this hastily scribbled note. I am sending this to your aunt’s address so your […]