Obituary of Ruth Elizabeth Moyer

Dr. Ruth Elizabeth Pierce (Hughes) Moyer passed peacefully on Monday afternoon, February 22, 2016, at the Baptist Health Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Scotia, NY. She was born on September 2, 1919, to Gilbert D. and Elizabeth Bennett Pierce of Bridgewater, NY. She is survived by a daughter, Betty Ann Hughes (Warren Sheldon) of Scotia, NY; granddaughter, Amelia Davies Robinson (Bryan K.) of Alliance, OH, and their children; grandson, Bryan John Davies of Remsen, NY, and his sons; and several dozen “academic daughters”. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her sister, Grace (Pierce) Risley; younger daughter, Carol E. Hughes; husband, James W. Moyer; and former husband, Walter E. Hughes. Dr. Moyer earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from Cornell University. She served in the U.S. Navy in Gainesville, GA, from 1944-46. She taught high school home economics in upstate NYS until 1965, and then served as a teaching assistant at Cornell while completing her Ph.D. She joined the faculty of West Virginia University in 1968, and moved to Iowa State University in 1971. She retired from ISU in 1986 as the Head of Home Economics Education and Mary B. Welch Distinguished Professor of Home Economics. She was active in and honored by many professional and academic societies and consulted internationally on home economics curriculum development, including advising UNESCO. Following her retirement from ISU, she spent one semester as a visiting professor at the National University of Taiwan. In her retirement, she volunteered for local social services entities in Ames, IA; golfed, swam, and played bridge regularly; and traveled extensively before relocating to Florida in 2002. From 2010 through January 2016, she resided at the Marjorie Doyle Rockwell Center in Cohoes, NY. The family thanks the dedicated Rockwell staff for their compassionate care for Ruth. There will be no calling hours. A memorial service with inurnment at Solomon National Cemetery, Schuylerville, NY, will be held later in the spring, at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation: to the Cornell Annual Fund (http://www.alumni.cornell.edu/fund/ways.cfm ) in support of undergraduate scholarships; to the ISU Foundation (http://www.foundation.iastate.edu/s/1463/index.aspx?sid=1463&gid=1&pgid=332 ) in support of undergraduate scholarships; to the Broadcast Fund of the NYC Metropolitan Opera (https://www.metopera.org/Support/Make-a-Gift/Support-the-Met-Broadcasts ); or to a displaced homemakers’ support program.