Ruth Ellen Wennersten of 408 A St NE, Washington, DC died in Tamarindo, Costa Rica on Feb. 2, 2025, of heart failure caused by pulmonary embolism. Ruth Ellen was 79 years old.
She is survived by her husband, Jack Wennersten, two sons, Stewart (wife Maria) and Matthew (wife Mala) and two grandchildren, Anthony and Sofia (aged 17 and 15), all of Northwest Washington.
Ruth Ellen and Jack Wennersten moved to Washington, DC in 2001 after academic careers. Ruth Ellen taught history at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore and accompanied her husband on extended teaching assignments in Heidelberg, , Naples, Italy, Asmara, Ethiopia, and Cambridge, England. She also taught English as a second language at the Hong Kong School of Ballet and Tokiwa University in Mito, Japan.
Active in civic affairs for over twenty years, Ruth Ellen was a docent at the National Building Museum, a volunteer at Friends of the Southeast Public Library on Capitol Hill, an usher at the Shakespeare Theater, and an avid er of the Anacostia Watershed Society.
A keen bridge player, dedicated reader, and world traveler, Ruth Ellen circumnavigated the United States, visiting all 50 states, and every continent except Antarctica, with extended visits to India, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and England. While she did not suffer fools lightly, she enjoyed entertaining and discussing politics. She had the love and adoration of her husband and family.
Donations in her memory can be made to the National Building Museum, Development Office, in Washington DC, 401 F St. NW, 20001.
