Ruth Nickleson Lemke, 90

Ruth Jane Nickleson Lemke, 90, passed away Sunday, Sept. 5, with her family at her side at the Cedars in Portland. Prior to Portland, Ruth lived in Lisbon Falls and Citrus Springs, Fla. She was predeceased by her husband, Walter G. Lemke.

She was born in Lowell, Mass., on Jan. 4, 1920, the eldest child of Hugh and Florence Nickleson.

After her father’s death in 1929, Ruth moved to Maine with her mother, six brothers and two sisters. She was separated from her family at age 12 and lived briefly at the Marcotte Children’s Home in Lewiston and then with Alice and Rutherford Whitman in Auburn. She always spoken fondly of the Whitmans and was grateful for the home they provided her.

After graduating from Edward Little High School with honors, Ruth entered St. Mary’s School of Nursing. She met and married the love of her life, Walter G. Lemke, in 1939. Ruth and Walter made their home in Lisbon Falls where they raised their two daughters, Patricia and Martha.

Ruth left nursing school to raise her family, but never gave up her dream of becoming a nurse. In 1964, she re-entered the registered nurse program at Central Maine General Hospital, subsequently transferred to St. Mary’s Hospital and graduated in 1969.

Ruth was employed by St. Mary’s Hospital until Walter’s retirement when they moved to Citrus Springs, Fla. While in Florida, she continued her nursing career at Citrus Memorial Hospital and various long-term care facilities, eventually retiring at age 74. She returned to Maine in 2008 to be near her daughter, Martha, and her family, residing at Birchwoods Assisted Living Center.

Ruth’s love of reading and resourcefulness appeared early. At a young age, when the local library allowed just two books per reader, she lined up as many of her younger brothers as she could manage and marched them to the library. In this way, she multiplied the number of books she could bring home by the number of brothers she brought with her.

She was a wonderful seamstress and loved to crochet. She was a great mom, always available to her daughters and grandchildren. She and Walter provided a circle of love and stability we could always return to. Ruth took her nursing creed seriously, taking care of AIDS patients early in the epidemic when others refused.

She was predeceased by her husband, Walter, in 1999; and six of her seven siblings.

She is survived by one brother, John Nicholson, of Woonsocket, R.I.; two daughters, Patricia McFail of Dekalb, Ill., and Martha Parshley and her husband, Robert, of Portland; seven grandchildren, Rachel and Willem Parshley, Bethany Zeiler, Jennifer Hernandez, Julie Weingarz, Janet McFail, and Christopher McFail; and two great-grandchildren, Teresa Hernandez and Amelia Weingarz.

The family wishes to thank the staff of the Cedars and Beacon Hospice for their thoughtful care and attention during Ruth’s last days.