Update: Ruth Moore’s memorial service will be held at Lincoln City Seventh Day Adventist Church 2335 NE 22, Lincoln City at 3pm Saturday, June 17. The memorial service will be available on facebook Livestream
From Ruth’s son Cary Moore:
The Queen of Lincoln City and her Irish Goodbye
“…Irish Goodbyes are the opposite of Irish welcomes. They are fast, quick and final. One moment you’re there, the next moment you’re in a speeding taxi.
So you see, Irish Goodbyes aren’t rude at all. They exist to spare you the anguish of separation. They’re actually deeply considerate. They’re also deeply practical. You just have to be Irish to understand how.” Cahir O’Doherty, Irishcentral.com
I have never met anyone like Ruth Moore and she happened to be my mom.
What was most striking to me at the end of her life was how thoroughly disinterested she was about her imminent death.
It was, as it turned out, her “Irish Goodbye.”
She was having trouble breathing on Tuesday morning when she finally agreed we (my wife Linda and I) needed to get her to the Emergency Room (ER).
As we made our way to the Newport ER I kept asking, “Hey mom, are you ok?” And each time she would say “Yes, I just need a little air.”
As we traveled south through Lincoln City she looked out the window of the car and said,
“Wow! Hilltop’s (restaurant) is busy.”
“Wow! Hilltop’s busy?” I thought, “She can hardly breathe and this is what’s on her mind?”
The answer was yes. And that was the beginning of her “Irish goodbye.”
Ruth was concerned about the business of life and living, not the unpleasantness of saying goodbye.
She enjoyed business and her gift shops. But what made her happiest were the thousands of people that she met and loved on over the years
Her gift shop was her home and there she was Queen. And that is why we called her the “Queen of Lincoln City”.
Upon arrival at the hospital the amazing staff began to hover about her. Her shortness of breath became more intense and the episodes became more frequent. The nurses and doctor moved quickly with purpose and urgency.
Soon the diagnosis was blood clots in her lungs and she did not have long to live.
Between the moments of fear and frustration about not being able to breathe, her attention turned elsewhere. Of one nurse she asked, “Where are you from”? Of another she commented “I like the streaks of color in your hair.” and they chatted a bit about little things like that that make life fun.
After her final struggle for air had subsided she turned to Linda and said, “Linda, you’ve lost weight.”
And in a moment Ruth was gone.
This was her Irish Goodbye; quick and to the point.
To the very end she enjoyed life and the living of it and when it was over, she decided how and when she would leave; whether we were ready for her to go or not. And we were not.
But she was, so she left the party.
