Ruth Torri

Ruth Faquin Torri, 90, of Hendersonville Tennessee, died June 7, 2020.

Ruth was born January 12th, 1930, the daughter of Arthur Charles Faquin and Annie Mae Moore Faquin. Ruth graduated from Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College) where she studied English.
Ruth grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. She took pride in her father's profession as a tailor and inherited a love of education and reading from her mother, a native of Clarksville, Tennessee. Before marriage, Ruth was a journalist at the Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis. In 1953, she married Albert Louis Torri. She always said with a laugh that he had to ask her twice before she said yes. Ruth made friends and community wherever she lived, whether in Jackson, Mississippi; Louisville, Kentucky; Schenectady, New York; or Hendersonville, Tennessee where she resided the last 48 years of her life.

Ruth found her strength in her three girls and joy in her six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She was an active and much-loved mother and grandmother bringing music and magic to their lives. She used her creativity to build imaginary worlds for them, through fairy kingdoms, secret gardens, and extensively crafted birthday parties.

She was a dedicated artist, a painter, a gift passed to her daughters. She loved cooking and theatre. Ruth was active in Theatre by the Lake of Hendersonville, Tennessee and was involved with the local Arts Council.
Ruth was a stroke survivor, who faced every day of the ten years since her stroke with courage, patience, and kindness to all. Before moving to the Hearth at Hendersonville, a residential home, she was passionate about gardening at their lakeside home and was an active member of St. Joseph of Arimathea Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee.

Ruth is survived by Albert Torri, her husband of 66 years, sister Ann McGuire, her three daughters Dale Torri-Safdie (Robert Safdie), Diane Torri-Peek (Eric Peek), and Wendy Torri (Rita Duran); her six grandchildren Ben Mercer (Anna Mercer), Rachel Reed (David Reed), Chris Mercer, Ariel Safdie (James Bargent), David Safdie (Rita Wang), and Loren Safdie (Danny Clark); and great grandchildren Aubrielle Mercer, Simon Safdie, and Adela Bargent Safdie.
In addition to her parents Arthur Charles Faquin and Annie Mae Moore Faquin, Ruth is preceded in death by her brother, Judge Arthur Charles Faquin, Jr. and grandson Jonathan Edward Safdie.
Ruth leaves behind a legacy of love and song.

A memorial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Ruth's memory to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee (https://www.stjude.org).