- Date Of Birth: September 8, 1931
- Date Of Death: April 13, 2019
- State: Michigan
Ruth Ann (Labowitch) Bergstein died on Saturday April 13, 2019 at Bickford Cottage.
Ruth Ann was born on September 8, 1931 in Detroit to Edwina (Dryfuss) and Leon Labowitch. Pre-deceased by her husband, Stuart and son, Todd, she is survived by her sister Phyllis (Jerry) Brickner, brother, Michael (Dee) Labowitch, sons Scott, Rick (Carol) and Rob (Raul Cobian), her grandchildren Jessica (Chris Strayer), Brittany (Drew), Lerrin (Nicole Militello), Ezra and her four great-grandchildren, Ethan, Harper, Brayden and Brooklyn.
Ruth Ann was married to Stuart from 1950 until his death in 2011 and their marriage was one of the great, lasting partnerships—romantic, respectful and above all, they were each other’s best friends. Sometime in the 1980’s, Stuart asked her to fill in “for a few weeks” at Community Drug Stores as his secretary and that began a professional partnership lasting until the Bergstein family sold the stores in 2001—she became his partner in business as well as in life. Much like Stuart, Ruth Ann was active in the community. She served on: the Midland Hospital Women’s Volunteers (President); the Midland Hospital Auxiliary (President); Temple Beth El (founder and teacher); Midland Coalition for Choice (Chair); Child and Family Services (Board of Directors); American Heart Association (Chair); the New Democratic Coalition; the League of Women Voters and was active in the Democratic Party at the local, state and national levels. Ruth Ann was among the first students of Saginaw Valley College (now Saginaw Valley State University), taking classes in the basement of Delta College and graduating in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science. Ruth Ann was an accomplished hostess, known for her cocktail and dinner parties, political fundraisers and chili dinners welcoming all the new families that moved into their neighborhood. Ruth Ann and Stuart enjoyed traveling the world together, were avid tennis players and enjoyed attending classical concerts, musicals and plays at the Midland Center for the Arts and May Fest in Ann Arbor.
The Bergstein family would like to thank Ruth Ann’s best friend and companion caregiver, Pamela Schneider, the caregivers and staff at Bickford Cottages and Mid Michigan’s hospice staff for taking professional yet loving care of Ruth Ann in the final years of her life.
