Mary Ruth Monaghan

Mary Ruth (Meuwly) Monaghan of Popponesset Beach passed away on Sunday, March 22, after a long illness. She was 92 years old.

Ruth was born in Little Rock, AR, in 1933 to her parents, Felix H. Meuwly and Lela Marjorie (Williams) Meuwly. The family moved to Richland, Washington, during the depression due to work available at the new Hanford Nuclear Facility.

She grew up in Richland, WA., and she graduated from Gonzaga University in 1955 with a BSN. One of her prized possessions is her white nursing cap, with the embroidered letter G, for Gonzaga.

Ruth earned her Nursing license in 1956 and started her Nursing career at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. She enjoyed a long career as a nurse before retiring from the Mashpee Public Schools in 1998.

Ruth and Jerry met in Boston and were married in 1957. They settled in Wellesley, MA, where they had 2 children before moving to California, where they had their third child, and then to New Jersey, where they had a fourth child. They moved to their beloved Popponesset Beach in 1976, which they always considered their home. In Popponesset, they enjoyed many happy times with extended family and many friends.

Ruth was an avid reader, accomplished knitter, gardener, and excelled at the NYT Sunday Crossword puzzle, always using a pen. She could often be seen walking throughout Popponesset and was a regular on Jeep Place beach.

Ruth volunteered for her community by knitting prayer shawls for the infirm congregants of St. Anthony’s church in East Falmouth, MA. She also volunteered at the Mashpee Public Library and at the Mashpee Sr. Center.

She was predeceased by her loving husband, Jerome (Jerry) A. Monaghan, in 2001. They had been married for 44 years.

Ruth is survived by her four children, Jerome (Jay) Monaghan Jr., and his wife Suzanne (Stone), of Hobe Sound, FL, Nicholas (Nick) Monaghan and his wife Karyn A. (Dettoni) of Mendham Township, NJ, Suzanne Lawler and her husband William, of West Roxbury, MA, Patrick (Pat) Monaghan and his wife Jeanne (Kelley) of Popponesset Beach, MA. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Ryan Monaghan and his wife Julie, Maxwell (Max) Monaghan and his wife Daniella, Braden Monaghan and his wife Samantha, Jack Monaghan, Benjamin (Ben) Monaghan, Christina Lawler, Meghan Lawler, and Elizabeth (Libby) Lawler. Ruth also leaves 2 great-grandchildren, Dawson and Charlotte Monaghan, and her sister, Kathryn (Kass) Frances Meuwly, of Lakewood, WA.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Anthony’s Church, 167 E. Falmouth Hwy, East Falmouth, MA 02536, on Tuesday, March 31, at 11:00 AM. Visitation will be held in the church from 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Interment to follow in the Massachusetts National Cemetery. To view via live stream, please click the link falmouthcatholic.org/live-stream

We are so grateful for the services and care Ruth and we received from the VNA Cape Cod Hospice.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to VNA of Cape Cod Hospice, 25 Communications Way, Hyannis, MA 02601 www.capecodhealth.org/ways-to-give/