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It is with great sadness that we share the news of the death of Ruth F. McArthur, wife of Craig Childs.
Please keep Craig and their family in your thoughts & prayers.
RUTH F. MCARTHUR Obituary
Ruth McArthur, devoted wife, mother, sister, and grannie passed away peacefully on Monday, September 22, 2025 at the age of 67. She was a nurturing soul who cared for people, pets and the environment. Always ready to share an adventure, she had a grand and sometimes wicked sense of humor.
Born and raised in Tallahassee, Ruth lived all over the country - from New Orleans to New York City, to Memphis, Houston, and Georgia, eventually settling in San Antonio and Boerne, Texas. Her latest adventure with her husband Craig was moving to Boston to be near her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.
In high school, she was a talented saxophone player. She carried this talent into adulthood as a somewhat regular participant in local community music group JP Honk. She was a lifelong Presbyterian, and sang in the choir.
She was a lifelong reader, and got her baby brother interested in The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and One Hundred Years of Solitude. She enjoyed going door-to-door singing Christmas carols with the neighborhood group, and in college, she worked at the restaurant Frisch's Big Boy.
Always generous with her time, she spent much of her days volunteering for organizations that served the greater good. Everything from the PTA and Girl Scout troop leader, to the League of Women Voters, Mass Audubon, and Community Servings. She was a natural when it came to working with the homeless in San Antonio. One of her proudest accomplishments was becoming a Texas Parks and Wildlife Master Naturalist.
Ruth was a writer with several published poems and books, including many self-published stories written just for her grandsons. Her Scrabble skills were unmatched - just ask her nephew. She was also an avid birder who often traveled the country with friends on birding excursions.
She adored spending time with her grandkids, who had become the center of her life. She was always available for whenever Grannie was needed,for hugs when in tears, cuddle time, and making pancakes and waffles, and was always up for helping them with various cooking and arts and crafts projects. She guided them into the world of Scrabble and Monopoly.
Ruth was preceded in death by her parents Bertha McArthur and Charles McArthur and sister Katherine McArthur. Ruth is survived by her husband of 45 years Craig Childs; daughter
Meredith Sandiford; son-in-law Steven Sandiford; grandsons Luke and Charlie; sisters Anne and Carol; brothers Marshall and Sam; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
A service will be held on University Lutheran Church in Cambridge, MA (66 Winthrop Street, Cambridge, MA 02138) on Friday, October 10 at 2:00 pm
Donations in Ruth’s honor can be made to The Mass Audubon Society https://www.massaudubon.org/ or Break Through Cancer breakthroughcancer.org
https://evite.me/9TeebrwyTj - Open House, Saturday October 11, 114 Sheridan Street 11;30am - 2:30 pm
A poem written by Ruth McArthur from her collection of Poems Persistence
I.
The silhouette of the barn swallow
against the evening sky
is odd.
Adhered crosswise to its tail is
the feather of a much larger bird,
At least as long as the swallow.
The swallow perches on power wire,
pecks, preens itself persistently,
almost frantically.
II.
Surely the bird will be dead under the wire this morning.
How can it fly dragging such extra weight?
Or catch insects on the wing
or escape the red-shouldered hawk
Who regularly patrols the area?
But there is no corpse.
A shadow crosses the ground –
the blighted bird,
flying,
a bit wobbly,
but flying.
All morning it swoops
with the other swallows.
III
By evening, the swallow has re-mastered
the art,
flitting about with no detectable lack of grace,
swooping
from the nest above the front door
to hunt,
returning to feed the young,
huge burden still attached.
It has learned to carry on.
Ruth McArthur's Obituary
Craig Child's email
From Craig on FB:
Below are details on how we will be celebrating the life of Ruth F. McArthur. We appreciate all of the calls, texts, and emails over the past few days. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your love and support.
A memorial service for Ruth will be held at University Lutheran Church in Cambridge, MA (66 Winthrop Street, Cambridge, MA 02138) on Friday, October 10 at 2:00 pm. Please refer to the church website for a Zoom link if you would like to attend virtually.
Church Website: https://www.unilu.org/
Following a memorial service, Ruth's ashes will be laid to rest at the family ranch in Boerne, TX at a later date.
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