On All Saints Day, 2021, my church said farewell to its oldest saint, Ruth Codichinni, age 100. Yes, you’d be correct to marvel. 100! Just a few months ago, I wrote in Ruth’s birthday card that I would “celebrate her all year long.” What follows is my attempt to keep my word.
I knew Ruth for only seven of her 100 years. For a time, I shared the privilege of driving her home after our Wednesday morning women's Bible study. It was during those studies that she gave us encouragement. Some of my notes from back then quote Ruth as telling us, “Trust and follow Jesus. You can’t go wrong.” The first time I drove her home, she pointed out the three houses she used to reside in, all located on the same road. I had recently signed a lease on a home on that same road, but with much apprehension about the unknowns. My concerns disappeared when I realized that Ruth’s history would be woven into the fabric of my daily life. Sometimes, God puts other people in your path to share their story so that trusting and following Him becomes our first nature.
Ruth’s celebration service filled in some of the gaps for me about the life she lived in those homes. I reiterate what was said by family and friends.
Ruth and her husband, Joseph, at the wedding of Jim and Jan Codichinni. Ruth prayed for many young adults to marry, and God answered her prayer by providing her son with a Christian wife.
Ruth was known as a “prayer warrior.” She prayed for everybody and anybody. This was Ruth’s secret to never forgetting a name.
Her life was full with family and serving in many ministries.
Ruth was no stranger to sadness or tragedy. She buried two husbands and lost her son, Tommy, just 17 years old, in a motorcycle accident. She once described to me the great feeling of loss she experienced over Tommy’s death. She also let me know that she lived in the hope of being reunited with him in heaven. She told me she could have been bitter for a lifetime like some people are, but instead she chose joy.
Ruth lived for Jesus. It was her faith in Him that gave her inner peace and joy. Ruth literally lived out Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (NIV)
Ruth volunteered for decades joining the “Cut Ups Group” at Willowdale Chapel, preparing take-home papers for preschool children.
Before the pandemic hit, Ruth and I spent time lunching at her favorite restaurant, Perkins. On one occasion she told me the secret to health was to “watch the sugar” and to “just eat good.” She then took a hearty bite of her loaded cheeseburger, finished most of her fries, and ordered pie “to go.” I was astounded. My only meal choice that day was a salad because I suffer from many food intolerances. In the past, many knowledgeable people as well as health articles gave me the same advice as Ruth, but it never stuck. For me, seeing was believing. I vowed that day to cut the sugar in the hope she was right. When our table was cleared, she pulled out her wallet and took many plastic gift cards from it. She laid them out in a row that stretched nearly the length of our table. I was perplexed. I asked if we were going to play a game. She explained the cards were gift cards to other restaurants but she only liked Perkins. Ordinarily, I have less than $20 on me. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t be able to help her, but this was no ordinary day. This day was an exception because earlier I made a mistake when entering my withdrawal from the ATM to the tune of one too many zeroes. I immediately offered to purchase her gift cards. After double-checking calculations, Ruth quickly traded her cards for my cash. She didn’t even mind my many small bills. Hunched from age, the weight of her wool coat and her black bag, she made a beeline to the Perkins counter with a wad of cash in hand. I watched the exchange of cash for cards from a distance. When Ruth turned back around with her new cards in hand, her mannerisms and expression was that of someone who had just hit the jackpot. Priceless! (I immediately thanked God for the opportunity to bless her and how He blessed me back because I loved the food at the cards she traded me.)
One speaker at Ruth’s celebration service stated that when Ruth wanted her own way, she’d sometimes bend the truth a bit. For instance, if it was suggested that she eat at a restaurant other than Perkins, she would insist that, “They don’t even have coffee!” Of course, all restaurants serve coffee. It was Ruth’s way of getting her way. Hearing this was a revelation to me. I thought back to the last time I drove her home from church. On the way, she invited me to join her for lunch at her place. I regretfully declined with an explanation of my immediate need to pick up my daughter from work 25 miles away. As her son-in-law Bernie helped her get seated on the stair chair in her garage, she said, “I’ll meet you up there” (referring to her second story flat). I protested but Ruth insisted -- she thought I was staying for lunch. As she rode to the top of the stairs, she cried out to me, “Come up. Join me. Won’t you come up.” How terrible I felt that she had misunderstood me. I had always remembered that afternoon with sadness for the miscommunication. Ruth’s celebration service showed me that she had heard me loud and clear when I told her I would not be staying for lunch. To this day, I wish I could have joined her, but I take comfort in knowing that there was no miscommunication during our drive. I’m both humored and honored by the friendship she extended to me.
On a recent podcast I heard, “Wealth is the company you keep.” From testimonies at Ruth’s celebration service, it’s easy to see that she made many people extremely rich. Her exemplary Christian life in sharing Jesus and living in His ways, the way she encouraged others, and enabled Jesus to work in the lives of the families she was a part of, and even her love for food left a positive indelible mark on countless people. Her legacy as a prayer warrior will live on. All Saint’s Day 2021 was a most fitting day to say farewell to this beautiful saint.
Finally, if I could do one thing over with Ruth, it would be to simply sit with her after church as she waited for her ride home. There would be no strained conversation over the noisy chatter around us. We would simply sit together and wait. This is in stark contrast to how I see her at Heaven’s gate. She is standing with Jesus, more beautiful than ever, but with a beauty that pales in comparison to the Beautiful One. I’m calling out to her with an uncontained excitement, “I’m coming up, Ruth! My work is finished here! I can join you now! I’m coming up! Praise God and Hallelujah!”
ABOUT OUR BLOGGER
Yvonne Goodwin is the oldest of six siblings. She grew up in Detroit, but is an avid believer that any place you connect with people and grow in love can be called “home.” She has lived in the tri-state area over 35 years with her husband, Don. Together, they provide for the needs of their two adopted, special needs adult children in Glen Mills. Before children, she worked as an administrative assistant for many Fortune 500 companies but holds true to the belief that raising special needs children has been her most difficult job of all. She attributes any success and rewards to our Heavenly Father. She has a passion for truth and is happiest planted in Bible studies, loving on children as a Willowdale caregiver and sharing Jesus’ message with others.