Ruth Ratcliffe

    Ruth Ratcliffe, who loved everything about the Sag Harbor area and never wanted to leave, her family said, died at home on North Haven on Dec. 23. She was 91 and had lived there for 56 years.

    Born in Brooklyn on April 22, 1921, to Henry and Rose Stampfl Bornkamp, she was very close to her only sibling, Robert Bornkamp, who died in 2011.

    She married Robert Ratcliffe in the fall of 1941. During World War II, Ms. Ratcliffe was a true Rosie the Riveter, working as an aircraft riveter.

    In 1949 the couple had one son, Robert Ratcliffe, who lives in Sag Harbor. Ms. Ratcliffe was a homemaker, mother, and devoted wife, her family said.

    The Ratcliffes moved from Brooklyn to North Haven in 1956. While she was saddened by leaving her beloved Brooklyn, she soon found an even deeper affection for Sag Harbor. She taught Sunday school at the Old Whalers Church in the village during the 1950s and 1960s.

    She played bridge regularly for over 30 years and became an active member of the Community Bible Church in Noyac.

    Besides her son, she is survived by three grandchildren.

    A service took place last Thursday at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in Sag Harbor. Contributions in her memory can be made to East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach 11978.