Ruth Cuddihy Noblin

Lillian “Ruth” Cuddihy Noblin, 96, of Hopewell, Virginia, passed away peacefully on March 19, 2014 surrounded by her loving family.

Ruth was born on June 2, 1917 in Hopewell, Virginia. She was the daughter of the late Fire Chief, John James Cuddihy and the late Lillian Ruth Cauble Cuddihy.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, George Sterling Noblin and her daughter, Rebecca N. Narron; her brothers, James “Jimmy”, John, and Donald “Don” Cuddihy and her sisters, Josephine “Jo” Perkinson and Doris Hughes. She is survived by her six children, Lillian N. Tiller, George “Russ” Noblin (Sharon), John S. Noblin (Kathi), Iva N. Bradley (Ron), Paul D. Noblin (Patty) and Mary N. Ellis (Jerry); grandchildren, Jimmy, George, Mark and Carl Tiller, Dewain and Sterling Narron, David and George Noblin, Shane, Adam and Justin Noblin, Amy Bradley (missing since 1998), Brad Bradley, and Michael and Andrew Kristensen. She also leaves behind a person who was very dear to her heart, Mike Kristensen. She has many great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren along with many nephews and nieces. She also is survived by two brothers, Fillmore “Fill” and Roy Cuddihy.

Ruth loved her family unconditionally. Throughout her life, she would always tell her children what wonderful parents she had and how special and smart her brothers and sisters were.

Ruth met the love of her life, George, when she was 15 years old. She tells the story of taking water to some people who were working on a nearby house. That day, she had on a green seersucker dress and curlers in her hair. Upon meeting George, she ran home, combed her hair out and went back so that she could “look” at him again. She always said, “George and I got married at 18 and 19 and we had the most wonderful life together.” The wide gold wedding band that George put on her finger on March 31, 1936 was engraved with flower blossoms and vines. She has cherished and worn the ring for almost 78 years. She has never removed the ring from her finger, and it is now a very thin thread of gold and remains where George placed it. Through their love, there were seven children born, who all grew up knowing they were wanted, loved and adored.

Anyone who knew Ruth described her as the most positive person they had ever met. She loved all people and she took every opportunity to express her love. She said so often, “I have been so blessed all of my life.” She made a remarkable difference in the lives of anyone who knew her. She and George traveled the world together and even had the opportunity to live in Iran for 3 years. She never met a stranger and no matter where she traveled in this big world, she could always round up a group to play, whether it was bridge, mahjong, backgammon, yahtzee, cribbage or cards of any kind. Her favorite backgammon partner was her son, George “Russ” Noblin. They played too many games of backgammon to count and kept a running score of who was winning and who wasn’t. Ruth played to win and Russ will attest to that. Ruth was a Life Master in the game of duplicate bridge. She had many wonderful friends through her love of the game and belonged to several bridge groups. She was well respected in the bridge community and was always proud that ‘table one’ was reserved for her. As one of her bridge friends recently said . . . “Ruthie, with her wonderful smile is in the “Big Bridge Game in the Sky”.

For the past two and a half years, Mom lived with her daughter Lillian. Thank you Lillian from your brothers and sisters for your loving care to Mom and making sure Mom wanted for nothing. The family would also like to extend a very special thank you to Dr. Jiho Han. He took such amazing care of her and was such a true and wonderful friend to her. Even though Mom loved flowers, she would respectfully request in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Paralyzed Veterans of America or the American Heart Association.

Mom, we will never forget where we came from. We came from laughter; we came from rooms ringing with the happy chaos of a large family. We came from grace and second chances. We came from hugs so reassuring, we never wanted to let go. We came from a really wonderful place to grow. Mom, we came from your unconditional love. Every day we heard 'love you doll baby'. Mom has always said she was so blessed...we are the blessed ones. We love you with all of our hearts Mom. Rest in peace knowing we will take care of each other until we see you again.

The Family will receive friends from 1:00 to 2:00 pm on Monday, March 24, 2014 at the Hopewell Chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home. The “Celebration of Ruth’s Life” will begin at 2:00 pm at the funeral home. Interment will follow in Appomattox Cemetery. Condolences may be registered at www.jtmorriss.com .