Ruth Raila, 82, a longtime Harwich resident died Thursday, August 15, 2019 in her home peacefully.

Born in Worcester, Ruth was the daughter of the late Sulo T. and Edla M. (Koski) Raila.  She graduated from North High in Worcester and received her Bachelor's degree from Clark University and two Master's degrees from Northeastern University.

Ruth retired from Cape Cod Hospital as the co-head of the Chemistry Department where she worked for over 25 years. A long time co-worker expressed Ruth was highly skilled and respected in her profession.

Ruth's life will be cherished by the people who knew her.  Although Ruth was the only child, she had many close family members. She loved her extended family and she was loved by them.  Ruth had many cousins who reside throughout the country and she valued their relationship.  She loved to travel as far as California and several parts of New England just to spend time with her family.  Ruth expressed love and kindness to all the people around her, she left a lasting impact on everyone she met. The many lives she touched were people in her family, church and community.  People overwhelmingly expressed their thankfulness because Ruth touched their lives with her kindness and gentleness. 

Her faith in God and her relationship with Jesus was the source of her love toward others. God's love shone through her and was felt by everyone she met and in everything she did. She loved going to church and faithfully attended while being involved in activities there, including the altar guild, quilting ministry and Bible study. 

Ruth was proud of her Finnish heritage and was an active member of the Cape Cod Finnish Club. She also worked as a volunteer at Elder Services for many years.  She swam regularly with her "water pals".  She loved going to the beach and sitting in her car and looking at the ocean and listening to soft music.  Ruth was also well known for her sense of humor and made lives brighter by bringing laughter to them. She always had a kind word to say and she will be missed by her family and many people in the community on the Cape and beyond.  We can all be thankful for having her in our lives.

A celebration of Ruth's life will be held at 12 p.m. Tuesday August 20 in the First Lutheran Church, 1663 Main St. (Route 6A), West Barnstable, MA 02668.