Obituary of Bette Ruttenberg

Bette Ruttenberg Dec. 12, 1922-March 26, 2008 Bette Ruttenberg, age 85, passed away Wednesday, March 26, 2008, at Medilodge of Monroe. Bette was born December 12, 1922, in Philadelphia, Pa. She graduated from Reading Senior High School on June 13, 1941. Bette attended the Industrial School of Art in Philadelphia, and later graduated from the Temple Secretarial School. Bette served as the Secretary of the Brighter Furniture Factory in Reading, and worked as a secretary for a plumbing supply house in Philadelphia in the mid-1940s. She married Bertram Ruttenberg on March 30, 1947, at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Reading, PA. Bette worked diligently for her synagogue through its sisterhood organization (Kesher Zion Synagogue of Reading, Pennsylvania) for over 25 years, holding various offices. She had an overwhelming desire to promote Israel, spending the last 30 years of her life as a member of Hadassah. She served as the President of the Reading Chapter and later as the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter. In her later years she was involved with the local chapter in Boynton Beach and in Monroe. She loved to travel and visited Italy, Ireland and England. Bette traveled to Israel several times including a Hadassah pilgrimage. They took numerous cruises to the Caribbean. A trip to Hawaii marked her 50th anniversary in 1997. She frequently made friends on trips. She was an avid reader, and kept a log of all the books she had read; numbering in the hundreds. Bette and Bertram moved to Boynton Beach, Florida, in 1997. In September of 2006 they moved to Monroe to be closer to their son. She is survived by her son, Wayne L. Ruttenberg; daughter-in-law, April, a granddaughter, Kimberly; a great-granddaughter, Emma Greenridge of Seattle, Washington; a step-grandson, Brian R. Harrington and his wife Sharidy; great-grandsons, Brian Harrington Jr. and David Moore, all of Monroe. She is survived by one sister in Florida. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, a brother, and a sister. Her Funeral will be held at 10:00 am, Friday, March 28, 2008, at Merkle Funeral Service, 2442 North Monroe Street, Frenchtown Township, (734) 384-5185. The Rabbi Moshe Saks of B'nai Israel will officiate. Interment will take place at Great Lakes National Cemetery, Holly.