Ruth Adams

Ruth Smith Adams of Sanford, ME passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of August 7, 2021 in her home. She was 98 years old. Ruth was born on September 10, 1922 in Sanford, ME to Herbert and Blanche (Cooper) Smith; she was the fifth of their nine children. A lifelong resident of Sanford, she grew up on a section of Main Street affectionately called "Smithville" due to the number of extended Smith family members that lived there. She graduated from Sanford High School in 1941 and immediately went to work as a secretary in the Goodall Mills. It was while working in the mills that she met her husband of 61 years, George P. Adams. Married on March 21, 1948, they raised four biological children George, Jr., Deborah, Nancy, and Andrew, and one adopted daughter, Sandra. Family was the center of Ruth's life, and she was the center of her family's. She was a devoted wife to George, mother to five children, grandmother to eleven grandchildren, and great-grandmother to thirteen great-grandchildren. She was the family's superfan. If a family member had a baseball, soccer, football, or basketball game, track meet, band concert, school play, science fair, dance recital, awards ceremony, graduation, or other event, she was in attendance. Family dinners, holiday meals, end-of-summer lobster feeds, birthday parties, and countless other occasions, planned or impromptu, showcased both her incredible cooking skills and her ability to bring people together. Ruth was a creative "maker" who loved drawing, building things, knitting, sewing, crewel work, and crocheting afghans for others. Not afraid to roll up her sleeves, she worked alongside her father, sawing boards and hammering nails, as he built her house in 1953. The fall, winter, and spring were spent at her house in Sanford, and more than 61 summers were spent at her camp on Square Pond. Ruth was a fan of crossword puzzles and an avid reader her whole life. She had the ability to get fully lost in a book, even though she always read the last few pages first so that she would know how the story was going to end. She was a master of the quick quip, well-timed quote, and hilarious comeback that only improved as she aged. Ruth is survived by her son George, Jr. and his wife Patricia, daughter Deborah (Doiron) and her husband Joseph, daughter Nancy (Beal) and her husband Carl, son Andrew and his wife Bridget, granddaughter Jennifer (Rodi) and her husband Ron, grandson Johnathan (Doiron) and his partner Donna, grandson Joseph (Doiron) and his wife Yousra, grandson Ryan and his wife Leah, granddaughter Lauren and her partner Andy, grandson Robert (Doiron) and his wife Jennifer, grandson David (Doiron) and his wife Colleen, grandson Matthew (Beal) and his partner Heidi, grandson Drew, granddaughter Kelsey (Randall) and her husband Brady, granddaughter Samantha, great-grandchildren Valentino (Rodi), Geovanni (Rodi), Theodore, Anastasia, Rosalie, Brayden (Carr), Jeremy (Doiron), Lukas (Doiron), Safia (Doiron), Sydney (Doiron), Ayla (Doiron), Andie (Doiron), Milo (Doiron), her sister Lois Chesley, and several nieces and nephews. At the family's request, services will be private. Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider supporting research of Alzheimer's and dementia online at Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org. or by mail at 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601. Arrangements are under the direction of Black Funeral Homes and Cremation Service, Sanford-Springvale. To leave a message of condolence please click on Ruth's Tribute page.