Ruthe B. Cowl, 1912 - 2008

most of you probably don't know that i come from a long line of extremely strong and independent women. dare i say that i come from a line of strong bad ass women. and if i had to pick one woman who was the epitome of this it would be my great great aunt Ruthe Cowl, who sadly passed away monday at the age of 96.
my aunt was a truly remarkable woman. she devoted her life to making the world a better place. i don't think you can say that about many people and really mean it. i cannot begin to try to list her accomplishments. i wouldn't do her justice. i think this obituary from the Laredo Morning Times gets the idea across well.
Not only was she the dedicated executive director of laredo's first rehabilitation center (which she founded), but she was also a major benefactor to the national yiddish book center, always striving to preserve jewish culture.
i wish i knew her better. i remember looking forward to her visits when i was a child. sadly i never got to spend much time with her as an adult. but i like to think that we were kindred spirits.
she was completely fabulous, with a bold sense of style (as seen in this picture). she collected art and jewelry and antiques from her travels all over the world. it was not uncommon for her to be written up in the society pages just for having lunch.
i really only knew her through the grand tales my mom would tell me about her. like the time she single-handedly integrated a "white only" country club. or the time when as a young woman she decided she would spend 6 months in guadalajara.
i guess it's hard to eulogize someone you never really knew. but through stories i did know her. and i always looked up to her as the ideal of what a woman could be.