Ruth Mulvay

Ruth Carol Brinton Mulvay “Nana” 1925-2016
Ruth Carol Brinton Mulvay, died on July 26, 2016, bringing to a peaceful close the long life she so cherished. Born March 29, 1925, in Salt Lake City, the fourth of five daughters of Edward Augustus and Irene Maxfield Brinton, Ruth grew up in Sugarhouse with her sisters Virginia Mary, Lois Maxfield, Laura Dean, and Miriam Irene. She recalled with pleasure her mother’s bottled peaches, dawdling to Forest Elementary, roller skating, Latin class at Irving Jr. High, walking with her father to get ice cream, and Sunday services at Bethel Baptist Church on Ninth South. While camping at Tanner’s Flat in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Ruth and her three girlfriends met four boys, one of them William Arnold Mulvay. Soon Bill was driving his old Durant by Ruth’s house to “haul” her and her friends to South High School. Following graduation, Ruth got a job as a clerk for the War Department Division of Engineers in Salt Lake City. She transferred to the San Francisco office but stayed only briefly. Bill was studying at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana with the Navy’s V-12 officers’ training program. She joined him and they were married at St. Charles, Missouri, on October 27, 1944. They remained lifelong sweethearts.
After the war, Ruth and Bill returned to civilian life in Salt Lake City. In June 1947, while Bill was traveling for Mountain Bell, Ruth took a cab to the hospital to give birth to their first child. Three more children came before Ruth learned to drive at age 28. The Mulvay family lived for twenty-two years at 4553 Willow Road in Holladay, just blocks from Foodland, the grocery Bill owned and managed on 4500 South and Highland Drive. Many of Ruth’s neighbors became dear friends. Her home was the Sunday and holiday gathering place for extended family, even after Ruth and Bill moved to a condo at 691 East Vine Street, Murray. Ruth was known for her superb cooking, particularly her shrimp salad and chocolate chip pie. She took great delight in making cherry cheesecake to thank those who served her.
A beautiful woman with ageless skin, Ruth enjoyed dressing up and going out. She sewed dresses for her daughters and taught her children the importance of work, honesty, respect and choice. She welcomed their friends, supported their interests, and took pride in their accomplishments. Nana nurtured her grandchildren and great grandchildren and enjoyed hosting them at the family cabin in Big Cottonwood Canyon. She reached out to bring people into her circle of love, and lovingly cared for elderly family members. She recognized “an aura about older people.” As Nana aged, her own aura grew strong and shed light upon everyone around her.
Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, her beloved husband, sisters Virginia (Albretsen Angus), Lois (Mitchell), Miriam (Murphy), grandson Scott Bruce Anderson, and sister- and brothers-in law. She is survived by her children, JoEllen Anderson (Robert K.), Jill Derr (C. Brooklyn), Jan Strong (Richard K.) and William Scott (Sheradon Bryce); 20 grandchildren and their spouses and 39 great-grandchildren; her sister Laura Dean Byrne, adopted sister Cherie Hale; nephews and nieces, Jerry Albretsen (Marilee), Gary Mitchell, Clifford Mitchell, and William Murphy, Paula Madsen (Richard) and Laurie Bahr (Wayne).
The family expresses deep appreciation to the staffs of Coventry Assisted Living and Solstice Hospice for their sensitivity and loving care.
A celebration of life will take place on Saturday, July 30, at 12:00 noon, Memorial Mountain View Mortuary and Cemetery, 3115 East 7800 South. Visitation from 11:00 to 11:45 a.m. Online condolences: www.memorialutah.com.
Service Information
Viewing July 30, 2016 at 11:00 - 11:45 AM
3115 East 7800 South





Celebration of Life
July 30, 2016 at 12:00 PM
3115 East 7800 South