Thank you for this post, Hoot!
Ruth was a lovely and gracious person who gave so much to her family. Ruth was also an important figure in her community. As one example, she was extremely dedicated to the kids in the bowling leagues that she managed for so many years.
Ruth had to put up with a lot being married to someone who played pool professionally, but she was proud of Babe's accomplishments. I remember how happy she was while Babe was being inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame. She even joined him up at the podium during his acceptance speech, at first to get him his reading glasses ... but it ended up with Ruth making her own remarks and getting as many laughs from the crowd as Babe did.
Babe also told me the story about when he had lost to Luther Lassiter in the 1964 World Championship. Ruth said to Babe that she had never seen him so upbeat after a loss, but Babe said he knew that if he got Luther into a longer game he could take him down, which he did that same year in a 1,200-point block match, earning the World title.
Ruth also played a part in Babe's decision to stop touring for Brunswick Billiards. Babe started touring for Brunswick as a young, single man, and he criss-crossed the U.S. putting on exhibitions and playing matches. After he was married, Ruth would sometimes join him, but, according to Babe, some of the poolrooms were so rough he would not have Ruth set foot in the room. Instead, she would wait in the car for Babe to finish putting on his show, sometimes in cold weather. Although Ruth did not complain, Babe was not happy about Ruth having to endure times like that, and he quit the road. Later on, Babe came back to pool to play in tournaments, including the World Championships, but his touring days were over. Instead, he gave exhibitions closer to home.
Ruth was extremely nice to me from the beginning. Babe and Ruth insisted that I stay at their home when I visited for a lesson. it was incredible to get a home-cooked meal when you were away at school at 19 or 20 years old with not much money ... and, before that, to have had the chance to have Babe take you to the poolroom to work on your game. It was a dream, really. When it was cold out, Ruth would sometimes grill indoors, using the fireplace, which I had never seen done before, but it worked like a charm! Years later, when I came to the house with my own family, she and my wife got along right off the bat, and Ruth treated our kids like her own grandkids. Babe was the same, taking the kids to the back of the house to throw peanuts to the squirrels he fed all winter.
It's difficult to think of Ruth passing, but she is at peace now and with Babe. Thank you for everything, Ruth. You will be missed.
Larry Moy
