Ruth Holden died peacefully on September 5th, 2025. She almost made it to her 105th birthday on September 18th and had been cheerful and smiling only a few days before.
Ruth was born in San Francisco in 1920 and grew up with her secular Jewish parents and younger sister, Jean. She and Jean frequently missed school to travel in Europe with their parents, often staying in pensions, where she avidly read the classics. She attended the University of California at Berkeley, where she majored in journalism and said she “met lots of boys and studied a little”.
After she graduated, she met Bill Holden, a doctor from New York who was working at the Veteran’s Administration in Palo Alto, CA, and was then transferred to the Los Angeles V.A. They got married and moved to Beverly Hills, where she raised her family. Her true passions were art, especially modern art, and travel, especially in Asia. For many years, Ruth worked as a volunteer docent at LACMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She worked for charitable and Democratic causes, loved playing tennis, and had an active social life. Ruth also had a love of good food and of an occasional shot of scotch before dinner.
Ruth and Bill had two children, Lynn and Robyn, and always had a beloved dog. Ruth enjoyed working hard to host creative birthday parties for her daughters. She later became known for writing clever poems to honor people for their birthdays and other occasions. She was sophisticated and charming and always stylish, classy, and impeccably dressed, and never got over Lynn’s refusal to wear lipstick.
But Ruth became known for her cheerful, upbeat, practical temperament, taking all disappointments in stride, and being kind, thoughtful, and appreciative toward everyone in her life. When she could no longer drive and realized she should join her daughters on the east coast, she took charge of her decision and all related details without a moment’s hesitation or self-pity.
Ruth did have an unexpected stint as a television star, earning a moment of fame starring in one episode of the TV series “Million Dollar Listing”, in which she charmed millions, when Josh Altman, a family friend, sold her Westwood condo, despite her not being a celebrity. It aired in February of 2011. Strangers approached her for years after that broadcast.
Everyone who met Ruth, throughout her 104 years, became impressed by her kindness, consideration, and generosity, including the devoted caregivers she became close to in the last years of her life, Maggie, Batouly, and Nancy. She also cared deeply about her sons-in-law, Michael Geach and Louie Zand, and about her adored grandchildren, Nate (and his wife, Peshy) and Adam (and his partner, Jenny). She was also very fond of her grandnephew Jay and of her grandnephews and grandnieces, Alex and Michele, and Nicole and Steve. Extended family Harriet and Howard were also near and dear to her heart, as was dear family friend, Leni. Her one great sadness in life was the death by drowning at age 7 of her grandson, Julian, Robyn and Michael’s son.
Ruth also leaves behind her beloved great-grandchildren, Sawyer Zand, Zev Zand, and Bella Zand.
We would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the extraordinary care provided by the hospice staff of Good Shepherd Community Care of Boston, in Newton, Massachusetts. Their nurses, doctors, and aides went above and beyond in helping meet Ruth’s many needs over the past two years. We will never forget their kindness, competence, and concern.
All of us who knew Ruth will miss her deeply for the rest of our lives.