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Page 2 of the Tribute, put together by Ruth's family, and read
by Bryan Miller, at the end of the Requiem Mass in
St Mary's Church, Inverness, on Monday 12 January 2026
Their first Christmas dinner together, which Ruth's parents were coming to Dundee for, was almost ruined, when five days before Christmas, while Ruth was recovering from minor surgery, Len came through and said, 'Don't worry I'm just going to turn the electric off... the kitchens on fire'. The old faulty electric cooker had caused a chip pan to catch fire.
Ruth, never one to let something stop her from doing what she wanted to do, went out and they bought two Baby Belling electric cookers from the Dens Road second hand market, one big enough to fit a turkey, and she cooked the full Christmas Dinner. She continued to do this for the next 50 years. Even in the couple of more recent years, where they had Christmas at Mary’s house, she still prepped and made most of the meal – but she didn’t have to do the washing up.
Ruth always impressed people with her cooking skills. She loved to cook and got great satisfaction seeing people enjoy her food, something she did with so much ease. As a clergy and radio presenter’s wife, there was always something to cater for, and everything would be homemade and of high standard. I'm sure anyone who’s tasted her cooking would agree.
Sunday Roasts were a particular family favourite, as was her Pancake Lasagne on Shrove Tuesday. Sitting round the table enjoying a meal together as a family was important to Ruth and many happy memories were made around her table, which was always open and welcoming too everyone.
In 1976 they had their first son, George, in Dundee before moving to Aberdeen when he was a baby. They arrived at St Ninian's on a Wednesday and Len quickly discovered there were no vestments in the church. Ruth being Ruth put the baby in the sling, jumped on the bus and went and bought some green fabric and made her first set of vestments in time for church on Sunday.
Some years later Len said he’d like to have a chasuble with a celtic knot-work design, and the rest, as they say, is history, and now her glorious vestments and paraments adorn churches all over the world.
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