Sarah Sturtevant
Ted was far more to me (and Dan, Caroline and Tomas) than "second cousin by marriage" might lead one to believe. He was my family: Mentor, Dad, Fishing Buddy, Grandpa...for nearly 35 years. From the first time I showed up at their home in Ridgefield CT, dressed in snowmobile boots, long johns and Aunt Jenny's old beaver coat, half frozen from the 8 hour drive from Maine in my VW (air cooled!) Bug, with a loaf of homemade bread under my arm, Ted and Ruth adopted me. They worried when I stayed at Danny's grandmother's apartment in NYC that weekend, and rejoiced at our wedding a couple of years later. Ted was our family. Ted and Ruth braved a "not so great" part of Queens to visit us in our first studio apartment next to the incinerator, and they visited us in every other apartment and home (and a couple of boats) after that. Ted taught Dan how to fly fish on frequent visits to Ridgefield, and they became fishing buddies, while Ruth taught me about antiques and so much more. Ted and Ruth were there every step of our lives. When we had Caroline and my overly optimistic "hospital bag" proved insufficient for a longer required hospital stay, Ted and Ruth bailed us out and rejoiced in the perfect marvel that love had created. Through picnics in the pasture with Caroline and many, many holidays with Ted and Ruth; Pat and Jerry and members of our thanksgiving football team ...Ted was our family. He taught me so much; a role model for what a loving marriage looks like; a mentor for navigating an often alien business world at work; and tutor on global travel and how to make relocations to new places work on many levels. In the early 1990's when Ted and Ruth moved to Maine it was a tear in the fabric of our lives, however, we followed shortly thereafter with our own move to Boston. As our kids grew, and with two demanding careers, we saw less of Ted and Ruth for a few years, until like many things -- time and love came full circle. In 2013 we spent the week of the marathon bombing vacationing in Duck, NC with Ted and Ruth; Caroline and husband, James; and my sister, Lora and husband, Pete. The joy of fishing was something Caroline shared with Ted and Dan and it helped us get through a tough few days of worrying about Tomas, neighbors, friends and colleagues. Ted and Ruth and Pat and Jerry celebrated with us at Caroline's wedding in June and Dan and I were so looking forward to hosting Ted and Ruth in Boston in a couple of weeks ... something that wasn't meant to be. Throughout the years we were blessed with Ted's love of life and our role in his life.
Ted, you will always be our family. We love you.
Sunday November 16, 2014 at 10:18 am