Ruth Giampietro Age 83 Ruth was born in 1928 in North Carolina and grew up on a small tobacco farm about 10 miles east of Raleigh. She was the youngest of 3 siblings: 2 sisters and 1 brother. One sister died at age 32 and the other at age 92. Her brother is still living in North Carolina. Ruth says she had a great childhood and remembers always trying to help out the less fortunate kids. She attended the Knightdale county school, which only went to the 11th grade. When her father died, she and her sisters moved to Raleigh with their mother, where they lived in a 4-bedroom house. Ruth attended Meredith College, a Baptist institution for girls, for 2 years as a day student. Then she met Don Rahmes and fell in love. Her mother insisted that, before she married, she attend business school so that she would have skills for finding a job. Ruth and Don married in 1949 and moved to Buffalo, NY. She had 2 children and was a stay-at-home mom. Today, her daughter lives in Houston (just married a year ago) and son in Oklahoma City (with 2 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren). In 1962, after being married 13 years and living in Dover, DE, she divorced Don. She went back to North Carolina with her children for 6 years and worked as the administrative assistant to the Assistant Commissioner of Revenue for North Carolina. Then a man she knew from her church in Delaware, Frank Giampietro, came to North Carolina to visit after his wife died. They were married 6 months later, in 1968. Frank had a daughter by his first wife, who still lives in Delaware and has 2 children. Then Ruth and Frank had a son, who is now a poet, married, and living in Farmington, Maine. He has two children, ages 9 and 11. Ruth and Frank lived in Dover, DE and owned an appliance retail store there for more than 40 years. Ruth helped out in the store after her children left home. Then, in 2007, Ruth's daughter in Houston encouraged them to move to Houston - into the Hallmark. Frank died in 2008. Ruth loves living at the Hallmark and especially enjoys a singing group she organized. They meet every Tuesday afternoon in her apartment. About 22 people attend. Ruth has always enjoyed music and sang in church choirs. She stays busy with other activities as well: line dancing, Wii bowling, golf putting, reading, crocheting for her grandkids and attending St. Martins church, including a Bible study group every Tuesday. She drives around Houston and walks to the Galleria. When asked about major difficulties or traumas in her life, Ruth reported the following:
When her sister died at age 32, she left 2 children.
During the last 8 years of her mother's life Ruth and her sister alternated caring for her for 6 months.
Her divorce.No one in her family had previously been divorced.
Ruth's attributes her activity and longevity to enjoying people and avoiding people who are negative and complainers. She is currently undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer, but says she feels good and is continuing all her normal activities.
