Obituary for
Ruth Macpherson Rozee (Curtis)
Passed away peacefully in Toronto, on February 26, 2019 in her 96th year. Ruth is survived by her brother George “Peter” Curtis, sons Peter (Francesca Patterson) and David (Tawni Roth) and, in her own words, “five brilliant grandchildren”: Clara, Maud and Honor, and Andrew and Simon. Her husband John “Jack” Rozee, and her brother, Arthur Curtis, predeceased her.
Ruth was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland on December 30, 1923, the daughter of the late Rev. Ira Curtis and Gertrude (née Martin) Curtis, and grew up in Corner Brook and St John’s. She was proud of her Newfoundland heritage. An outstanding student, in a more enlightened age she would likely have become a doctor but instead, following studies at Mount Allison University, she attended nursing school at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, where she made life-long friends. Ruth went on to a long career as an operating room nurse at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, where she became nurse in charge. In 1957, she met Jack Rozee, and several weeks later they were married and aboard a troop ship on their honeymoon. Ruth was a great support to Jack throughout his military and diplomatic career, raising their two boys while moving frequently and living abroad in Washington, Dar es Salaam, Bonn and Brussels. Together, they travelled widely, always embracing the local language, food and culture. Ruth had a sharp wit, a love of good food and good books, and an indomitable spirit that sustained her through health struggles late in life.
A ceremony will be held in Ottawa in the spring, and her ashes will be interred beside Jack’s at Beechwood Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the charity of choice would be appreciated.
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Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Ruth Macpherson
Rozee Curtis 1923 2019..
Source:Hulse, Playfair & McGarry Inc
Décès pour la Ville: Ottawa, Province: Ontario