In interviews occasioned by the publication of his book Will The Circle Be Unbroken?: Reflections on Death, Rebirth, and Hunger for a Faith, Ruth’s dear friend Studs Terkel described himself as “an agnostic.” In other words, he said, “a cowardly atheist.” I have a hunch that characterization may apply to a number of us here. But not to Ruth. In her gentle, quiet way, she was an uncompromising atheist. An atheist for all seasons.

After her death, Quentin shared a story that deepened my understanding of Ruth. At the age of twelve, she decided she couldn’t take communion because she didn’t believe in God. She very much wanted to take communion, she wanted to please her parents, but she couldn’t falsify her reality. The minister and Sunday School teacher came to the family home. Together with Ruth’s parents, they arrayed themselves around the little girl, got down on their knees, and prayed she would accept the faith. The child known as Little Ruthie Johnson didn’t yield. She remained true to her sense of the world.

Something essential is evoked by that image of the slight, delicate girl holding her ground against such imposing adult authority. Ruth thought for herself. She saw things from her own angle of vision. She knew her own mind. In her singular way, she didn’t impose herself on others, yet stood her ground and was true to herself.