Ruth Mae Lawton, 94, of Medford, MA (and subsequently Stoneham, MA, Framingham, MA and Pinole, CA) passed away Tuesday, December 11, 2018. Born in Somerville, MA, she was the daughter of the late Hannah Buckley and Louis Bolyea. She was the loving wife of the late John F. Howard (deceased 1964) and of the late Kenneth C. Lawton (deceased 1994).

Ruth worked briefly as an insurance administrator in Boston until she married her high school sweetheart, John Howard, after his WWII service. She was a loving mother and housewife who volunteered outside the home especially at her church. She worked as a secretary for many years at both St. Andrew’s Church in Framingham, MA and Christ the Lord Church in Pinole, CA. She loved her family, friends, and extended church families. She also enjoyed candlepin bowling, dancing, gardening, cooking, and graciously hosting friends and acquaintances in her home. In later years, her home in Pinole, CA was known to many as “Lawton’s Bed & Breakfast by the Bay”.

She is survived by four children, Linda Mather of California, Alan Howard and his partner, Kathy Loebel of Denver, CO, Laura Stonebreaker and her husband, Bob of Sutton, MA, and Lorraine Chapman and her husband, Frank of Ashland, MA. She is also survived by eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She is predeceased by her eldest son, Dennis Howard, as well as her siblings, Doris O’Leary and Louis Bolyea.

A memorial service and celebration of life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 5, 2019 at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Framingham, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations to Christ the Lord Episcopal Church in Pinole, CA are requested by the family. http://christthelordpinole.org/contact-us.html.