Ruth E. Cairns, 76
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Ruth E. Cairns, 76, of Division Street died Monday, Oct. 13, 2008, at home.
Born in Great Barrington on May 16, 1932, daughter of Harry F. and Edith Armstrong Rahm, she graduated from the former Searles High School and attended Berkshire Community College.
Mrs. Cairns was employed as a bus driver with Massini Bus Co. for many years before retiring in the late 1980s.
She was an active member of United Methodist Church in Lenox and had previously been an active member of the Great Barrington United Methodist Church. She was a member of the choir and a lay speaker for both the churches. She also had been a leader of the local 4â€'H Club and the Campfire Girls.
Her husband, Thomas James Cairns, died on July 21, 2007. They were married Sept. 20, 1953, at United Methodist Church in Great Barrington.
She leaves a son, Thomas J. Cairns Jr. and his wife, Chris, of Washington; a daughter, Gail Sharry and her husband, Joseph, of Westerly, R.I.; two grandchildren, Shauna Cairns and Thomas J. Cairns III; two stepgrandchildren, Devon Mongillo and Joseph Sharry; two stepgreatgrandchildren, Anthony and Isabella Mongillo, and her caregiver, Eva Aboagye Mensah.
She was predeceased by three brothers, Harry Rahm, Earl Rahm and Herbert Rahm, and two sisters, Herberta Haywood and Ann Weldon.
FUNERAL NOTICE â€' Funeral services for Ruth E. Cairns will be conducted Friday, Oct. 17, at 10 at United Methodist Church, Holmes Road, Lenox, by the Rev. Valarie M. Roberts-Toler, pastor. Burial will follow in Elmwood Cemetery.
The family will receive friends on Thursday, Oct. 16, from 4 until 7 at Finnerty & Stevens Funeral Home in Great Barrington.
Those who wish may make memorial contributions to HospiceCare in the Berkshires or to United Methodist Church in Lenox through funeral home, 426 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. Remembrances, memories and reflections may be sent to the family through www.finnertyandstevens.com.