Remembering Ruth Auslander 1932-2014: Ruth Auslander Obituary

Open-hearted and curious to the last, Ruth Auslander died on June 13 at Montgomery Hospice’s Casey House. She had been treated for lung cancer for three years. Born in 1932 in Reading, PA, to Isidore and Yetta Epstein, Ruth moved as a child with her family to Philadelphia and lived in the Washington, D.C., area for over 50 years. A graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Nursing, she worked as a nurse at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in units ranging from oncology to mental health. Her first marriage, to Joe Auslander, ended in divorce; her second husband was the late Maurice Shapiro.

A woman of enormous warmth, generosity, and intelligence, Ruth made new friends even in the last weeks of her life. She loved classical music, especially opera, museums, good theatre and movies. She was also a dedicated student of macrobiotic cooking and a deep believer in social justice.

Ruth is survived by her children, Mark and Bonnie Auslander; her grandchildren Nina and Milo Auslander-Padgham; her children-in-law Ellen Schattschneider and Jon Padgham ; the Epstein, Zeltzer, and Shapiro families; and, her great and diverse circle of friends. Instead of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to the Washington Waldorf School Capital Campaign or to the Foundation of the National Institutes of Health. Memorial services will be held at 1:00 p.m on Wednesday, June 25, in the Kay Spiritual Life Center at American University (Massachusetts and Nebraska avenues, N.W. Washington, D.C.)