Ruth Irving Spokane

Wed., May 8, 1996

Ruth Irving is 103 years old today. Born May 8, 1893, in Norway, Maine, she is a longtime Spokane resident and has lived at Rockwood Manor for nine years.

She received her bachelor’s degree from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, in 1915, and taught school in Maine and Massachusetts before moving to Illinois. She then attended the Chicago Art Institute, receiving a degree in art while working as a principal of an evening high school.

After World War I, she represented the YMCA in France as coordinator for war brides joining their husbands in the United States.

She married Henry Fuller in 1925, and in 1928 they moved to Spokane. Mr. Fuller died in 1947.

She then went to Columbia University and earned her master’s degree in art. Mrs. Irving returned to Spokane and taught art at Cheney High School.

She married Henry Irving in 1953. He died in 1967.

Her son, Charles P. Middleton, died in 1990. She has one grandson and five great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Irving was chosen as 1995 Celebrate Life Queen representing the senior residents of Spokane retirement communities.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.