
Dominican Sister of Peace Ruth Schirtzinger, OP, (Sister Margaret Marie), (73), died peacefully at her home in Columbus, OH on June 6, 2017. Born on April 16, 1944, to David and Alice (Maloney) Schirtzinger of Columbus, OH, Sr. Ruth entered the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs, now the Dominican Sisters of Peace, in 1963.
Sr. Ruth earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Education from Ohio Dominican (Columbus, OH) and Marygrove College (Detroit, MI) respectively. She taught kindergarten and primary school in several central Ohio cities and served as a school administrator as well. Both her fellow teachers and her students spoke of her classroom being a place of laughter because she believed that learning should be fun.
Perhaps because she was part of a large family of eight siblings, Sr. Ruth was a born caretaker. Because of this, she returned to school and received her Bachelor of Science in from Ohio Wesleyan University (Delaware, OH). In her new ministry at Riverside Hospital in Columbus, OH, she served on the Vascular Thoracic Unit. In speaking at the occasion of her golden jubilee, Sr. Ruth said, “My patients are often scared and apprehensive. The simple prayer I can offer patient and family before surgery seems to mean so much.”
Sr. Ruth was also a volunteer at Kobacher Hospice (Columbus, OH), where she was honored in 2007 with the Compassionate Care Award. Both patients and staff recognized her for her “continued expertise, motivation, and her caring manner.”
Sr. Ruth was a person of great joy – and she shared that joy with her Sisters, her family, and her friends. She loved spending time with her family at their retreat in Michigan – both for the fellowship and for the opportunity to be close to nature. She enjoyed watching the birds and animals and took great pleasure in tending to her garden.
Sr. Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Philip Schirtzinger, and nephew Stephen Marshall. She is survived by her brothers and sisters, Robert, Rosemary, Patricia, Margaret, Marie, and Edward; numerous nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews; many cousins, aunts and uncle.
A Vigil of Remembrance and the Mass of Christian Burial were held on June 13, 2017, at the Dominican Sisters of Peace Motherhouse in Columbus, OH. Burial was at St. Joseph Cemetery in Columbus, OH.
Memorial gifts in Sister Ruth Schirtzinger’s memory may be submitted securely online or sent to:
The Dominican Sisters of Peace
Office of Mission Advancement
2320 Airport Drive
Columbus, OH, 43219