The Art of Growing Older

Ruth Duff, 99, illustrates what healthy aging is all about. She walks briskly with a purpose. Ruth is an artist. During the last two years living at Eskaton FoutainWood Lodge she painted more than 150 water colors. Ruth has worked with a variety of media including knitting, silk screening, etching on copper, bronze casting, and print making. She is a true life-long learner.

Over the years her skills were gleaned from the art professors at Portland State University, Sierra College, and University of California Davis.

Ruth uses gardening as a creative outlet. At FountainWood, her garden includes tomatoes, zucchini, and a variety of colorful flowers.

“When I look back, I had a great life,” said Ruth. One of her fondest memories is swimming on the Columbia River at Morgan’s Beach. She raised two children in Portland with her husband Tom before moving to Roseville, California, in 1987. She traveled extensively through Mexico and Europe — western France and Rome being two of her favorite places.