Ruth Brita (Dillenbeck) Kiligas, 91, passed away in the comfort of her home and family in Moretown on Monday, June 4, 2012. Born in Buffalo, NY, on September 14, 1920, she was the daughter of the late Arvin J. and Mary E. (Benham) Dillenbeck. On February 6, 1943, she married DeWitt Castle Kiligas in Buffalo, NY. DeWitt predeceased Ruth on July 5, 1999.
Ruth was a 1938 graduate of Bennett High School in Buffalo, NY, and continued her education at Cornell University where she was an active and lifelong member of the Tri-Delta Sorority and was selected to attend the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Children and Family Development in Michigan. Ruth graduated from Cornell in 1942 with her degree in human ecology.
Ruth and DeWitt met while attending Cornell and following their marriage, moved to Brunswick, ME, where he was stationed as a member of a Naval Air Force utility squadron. Following his discharge from the service, he and Ruth settled in Wyckoff, NJ, where they lived for over 50 years.
A lifelong learner and student, Ruth enjoyed continuing education classes at Cornell as well as teaching preschool education for many years at Westside Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood, NJ, and later at Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff, NJ.
While living in Wyckoff, she and DeWitt took up skiing and on vacations became world travelers in pursuit of the sport. They joined the Ski Club of New Jersey, which took them to many foreign as well as domestic slopes; one of her favorites being in France – The Pyrenees.
Ruth moved to Montpelier in 2006, residing at Westview Meadows, and for the past four years has made her home with her daughter and son-in-law, Patricia and Richard Haynes, in Moretown.
In addition to her daughter and son-in-law, Ruth is survived by two grandchildren, Patrick M. Haynes of Burlington and Thomas L. Haynes of Moretown; a sister, Esther M. Prudden of Lockport, NY; as well as nieces, nephews and extended family. Ruth was predeceased by two brothers, Donald B. Dillenbeck and Harold A. Dillenbeck, and a sister, Jean P. Dillenbeck.
Memorial services will be held privately for family. For those who wish, memorial gifts would be appreciated to Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, 600 Granger Road, Barre, VT 05641 (www.cvhhh.org) or the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (www.birds.cornell.edu). To send online condolences visit www.perkinsparker.com and Facebook. Assisting the family is the Perkins-Parker Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Waterbury.
{loadnavigation}
