HUGO RUTH ANNE Age 94, on March 24, 2014, surrounded by her family at her home in Highland Park. Ruth Anne was preceded in death by her devoted husband, Dr. Lawrence R. Hugo, who died in 2001. Ruth Anne (Skeehan) was preceded in death by her sister, Elizabeth Lesquin; her brothers, John, Ed, and Tom Skeehan. Her remaining sibling, Margaret Rose (Judy) Lackner, lives in Sheriden with her husband, Dr. Vincent Lackner. Ruth Anne, a native of Baden, PA, married Lawrence R. Hugo of McKeesport, January 1, 1943, and began their family three years later when he returned from his tour of duty in Europe. Their five children are Dr. Maryanne Hugo (Patrick Hastings) of Highland Park, John J. Hugo (Josee Fournier) of Ashland, Oregon, Lawrence R. Hugo III of Jacksonville, Oregon, Michael V. Hugo (Adrienne) of Mundelein, Illinois, and Rosemary Fielding (David) of Sewickley. Ruth Anne has 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Ruth Anne was an elementary school teacher in the Norwin School District from 1958-1984. She was an active member of two Catholic churches: Immaculate Conception of Irwin and St. Agnes of North Huntingdon. She served as a lector at Immaculate Conception for a number of years after retirement, and was an excellent horticulturist with both her garden on Robbins Road as well as her many houseplants. Ruth Anne was a devoted mother, grandmother, and great- grandmother; knitting and sewing countless articles of clothing and afghan blankets for them over the years. Ruth Anne was an excellent and competitive Scrabble player, voracious reader, and in her early 90s, quite capable on the Internet, communicating with her family on Facebook and through email. She will be forever remembered by family and friends for her good homemade bread and homemade jelly and jams, made from the fruit trees of her family's two acre plot on Robbins Road. She took great joy in feeding people, whether it was her own family of five, or the 11 children of her sister and brother-in-law, Margaret Ann and Martin Lyons, who lived on Robbins Station Road a few doors away. She was never averse to feeding anyone her children brought in the door unexpectedly, showing a true graciousness, generosity and kindness; virtues that anyone who ever met Ruth Anne will recall immediately as defining her character. Ruth Anne was a great athlete as a young woman, transforming that attribute into a work ethic that was surpassed by no one. She always had a heart for the underdog and the poor who suffered. She once wrote a letter of support to a Catholic bishop in Washington State who was being singled out for condemnation for his opposition to nuclear weapons. This attitude may have been fashioned in part from her time with the Catholic Worker founder Dorothy Day when Ruth Anne attended week long silent retreats with her, led by her brother-in-law, Fr. John Hugo, in Easton, PA during the Second World War. Dr. Hugo and Ruth Anne even had Dorothy Day over to their home for dinner on Robbins Station Road on occasion. She canned thousands of cans of vegetables, jams, and jellies, as well as baking thousands of loaves of whole wheat bread, food that fed her family over the 55 years she lived in North Huntingdon. The capstone of this beautiful woman (truly beautiful to the very end of her life) was her financial generosity with her children and grandchildren, choosing to give a living will while she was alive to assist them with their material and educational needs. The binding grace of Ruth Anne's personality was her sense of humor. She always had a twinkle in her eye and was forever ready to laugh, usually at the human folly that one witnesses every day. Her sister, Judy, will forever remember her sister as never submitting to her brothers as they tried to crush her hand in a handshake, attempting to make her say uncle. For this and other feats of strength, Ruth Anne was called Tarzana by her brothers; a sign of their respect and affection for their little sister. For her children, their mother's defining attribute was her unconditional love for them throughout their livesthrough their successes and their failures. They could always count on mom for her support, and in the endfor all of her children, she was their best friend. All of us, her family, her dear neighbors and friends, will miss her immensely. There will be a wake at the J.F. OTT FUNERAL HOME, INC., 504 Oak Street, Irwin, Wednesday, March 26, 2014, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Parting Prayers will be held 9:00 a.m. Thursday, March 27, 2014, in the funeral home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at Immaculate Conception Church in Irwin. In lieu of flowers, Ruth Anne has requested that donations be made to the Community Food Bank of Pittsburgh. To send online condolences, please visit: www.ottfuneralhome.com Send condolences at post-gazette.com/gb