Ruth Lee (Cohen) Silver

Ruth Lee Silver, 90, of West Hartford, on June 12, after a brief (non-COVID) illness and a full life. Born August 24, 1929 in New York City, daughter of Sally and Morris Cohen, she grew up in New York and Chicago and graduated from Elmira College. In 1951, she married Rabbi Harold Silver. They lived first in Pittsburgh, then moved to West Hartford in 1968 when Harold became senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel. Harold and Ruth Lee’s 56-year marriage was a supportive partnership, and until his death they were never apart for more than three nights. Ruth Lee had long fulfilling careers as a writer and an artist. She reported for the West Hartford News for 13 years, contributed to the Hartford Courant and other newspapers, and produced memoirs and essays throughout her life. She shared her skills by tutoring underserved schoolchildren in Hartford and Pittsburgh, and teaching English to newcomers to the US. Her art won awards and critical acclaim: her distinctive collages, often featuring street scenes and the diversity of city life, appeared in shows around Hartford and in her winter home in Sarasota, Florida. She was witty, stylish, resilient, politically active (she looked forward to voting Trump out of office!), and a sharp observer of the world. She loved gardening; she filled her backyard with plants and helped her family and friends do the same. She was a member of an artists’ group and a writers’ group; both lasted for decades. She remained active to the end: going to Tanglewood and TheatreWorks, watching the news and reading the New York Times every day, exploring little hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and writing nonstop. Her final article will appear next month in the McAuley Magazine. Her favorite book – the only one she would never lend out – was Anne Lamott’s “Bird By Bird.” She would have known exactly what to write here, and I wish she were here to tell me. She was predeceased by her husband, Rabbi Harold Silver; her sister, Barbara; and a son, Michael. She is survived by three children: son Marc and his wife Beverly of West Hartford, daughter Jenny Silver and her husband Lauren Kaplan of Leverett MA, and daughter Molly Silver and her husband Marty Teicher of Brookline MA; five grandchildren: Rebecca Slitt, Micah Snyder, Eli Burstein, Judah Silver, and Ezra Burstein; beloved great-grandson Caleb; and countless friends from every stage of her life.

Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Civil Liberties Union (aclu.org) 125 Broad St. 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004; CT Core Organize Now (ctcore-organizenow.org) PO Box 8897, New Haven, CT 06532; or the Silver Courtyard Fund at Congregation Beth Israel, 701 Farmington Ave., West Hartford, CT 06119.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Civil Liberties Union (aclu.org) 125 Broad St. 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004; CT Core Organize Now (ctcore-organizenow.org) PO Box 8897, New Haven, CT 06532; or the Silver Courtyard Fund at Congregation Beth Israel, 701 Farmington Ave., West Hartford, CT 06119.