Obituary: Ruth Beaudin, 1933-2023

Ruth Beaudin, adored mother, grandmother and wife, died at home in
Shelburne on November 16, 2023. She was 90 years old.

Ruth was born in
Boston on January 5, 1933, to Paul and Fanny (Green) Kaplan. She
graduated from Jeremiah E. Burke High School in 1950 and received a
bachelor’s degree from Forsyth Dental School in 1952.

Ruth was a gifted
athlete, an excellent tennis player and golfer. She played bridge and
mah-jongg and, in later years, was a wiz at Wii bowling. Ruth loved
the sun and the beach, and, while water was a theme throughout her
life, she preferred to be by the water, rather than in it.

As a young girl,
Ruth spent her summers at Nantasket Beach on the south shore of
Boston. It was there that she met her first husband, David Binch,
with whom she had two daughters, Sheryl and Beth. The family moved to
Vermont in 1960, where they frequently boated on Lake Champlain.

In 1998, Ruth
married Marcel Beaudin, a native Vermonter and competitive sailor.
Together, they traveled around the world, including numerous sailing
trips in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. On board, as in life,
Ruth was a first-rate first mate.

Ruth worked briefly
as a dental hygienist and, in later years, worked at Preston’s and
Lippa’s jewelry stores in Burlington. She volunteered at her
children’s schools, was a member of the Ohavi Zedek Hadassah and
served on the association board at the Landings in South Burlington,
where she lived on the shores of Lake Champlain for 30 years.

Ruth had an EQ like
no other. She was an astute judge of character and a valuable
sounding board for friends and family members, quietly offering sage
advice, always without an ounce of judgment. Even as her memory
faded, she was able to offer profound pearls of wisdom in the moment.

Ruth is survived by
her husband of 25 years, Marcel Beaudin; her daughters, Sheryl Shaker
(Ted) and Beth Alpert; five grandchildren, Molly, Grace, and Will
Shaker, and Sam and Rebecca Alpert; and four stepchildren, Adam
Beaudin, Rebecca Beaudin (Christopher), Paul Beaudin (Wendy) and Jeb
Beaudin. Also surviving are her brother’s children, Barry Kaplan
and Arleen Noller (Rob); and two step-grandchildren, Jonah and Aaron
Beaudin.

A private burial was
held at Shelburne Village Cemetery.

Contributions in
Ruth’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or
American Heart Association.

This article appears in Nov 22-28, 2023.