Ruth May (Hotyckey) Ciucias

Ruth May (Hotyckey) Ciucias, 93, of East Haddam, passed away peacefully Friday morning (Nov. 18, 2016). Born May 7, 1923 in Flushing, NY, she was the daughter of the late Stanley and Antoinette (Narwid) Hotyckey. Ruth was the widow of the late Zygmunt K. Ciucias, with whom she shared 57 years of marriage before he predeceased her in March of 2004. Ruth leaves to mourn her passing two children, Jeffrey Ciucias of Palmyra, VA and Julie Ciucias and her son-in law Richard Pikulski of East Hampton; two grandchildren, Abigail and Hanna; a brother, Franklyn Hotyckey of Worcester, MA; two sisters, Eleanor Weismann of Madison and Elaine Woods of East Haddam; and numerous extended family and friends. In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by two sisters, Antoinette Bray and Virginia Cooley; and a brother, Edward Hotyckey. Ruth had many accomplishments that began with her graduation from the prestigious Mt. Sinai School of Nursing in NYC, becoming a Registered Nurse. She was awarded the coveted Murray Guggenheim Medal for exceptional academic and clinical performance. After graduating, Ruth worked as an O.R. nurse at Mt. Sinai Hospital for three years, performed private duty nursing in NYC and held numerous other positions throughout her life. While working in NYC, Ruth met her husband Zygmunt, married and moved to East Haddam where they built a house together on family land. After taking time to raise her children, Ruth worked for many years at Connecticut Valley Hospital in the Geriatrics Unit, a position she loved dearly. Her other accomplishments include awards for singing, poetry, painting and photography. Ruth was the runner-up in the 1996 Ms. Senior CT pageant where she received the award for best Life Philosophy. She had a zest for life and enjoyed countless hobbies including knitting, crocheting, gardening, baking, flower arrangement and for years entered country fairs across the state relishing in countless blue ribbons. Never idle, Ruth was involved in many organizations and causes including the Millington Green Community Club, Homemakers Club, Grange #256, 4H Club, and was a Boy Scout Leader. In later life, Ruth was a proponent of volunteerism and sought to raise money for many causes, sang and played the banjo to the elderly in nursing homes as the “International Lady of Song” and won East Haddam’s Volunteer of the month for her work in raising awareness and funds to save the one room school house on Millington Green (which she attended as a child). An eternal student, Ruth was an avid reader always keeping apprised of activities in town government, history, hobbies, helpful resources, health and nutrition. She completely treasured her experiences, trips, and friends with the Making Memories group at the Colchester Senior Center. In her late eighties, Ruth delighted in taking 3 Holistic Health cruises with her daughter, Julie, seeing the Caribbean sights, taking classes in healthy living and making more cherished memories. Her family would like to thank her long time care givers Pat and Peggy who helped her stay in her own home until her early nineties. She will be deeply missed for her hand written cards and letters, never missing a birthday or special event. In Ruth’s honor, always remember to feed the birds in winter. Services will be observed and announced in the spring of 2017.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Millington Green Schoolhouse Fund, c/o East Haddam Town Offices, P.O. Box K, East Haddam, CT 06423. Care of arrangements has been entrusted to the Aurora-McCarthy Funeral Home of Colchester.