Monroeville resident celebrates 103rd birthday

Despite having reached a milestone in age, 103-year-old Ruth Clark remains young in mind and spirit as she celebrates her birthday with friends and family.

Clark is a resident of the Juniper Village retirement community in Monroeville, where she has lived since 2016.

Born on June 12, 1919 in Avalon, Clark attended Perry High School, where she made memories to last a lifetime. She was known as Ruth Schaffer at the time.

“After I had my daughter, we moved to Observatory Hill in Pittsburgh so she could go to Perry High School, too. I loved it there and wanted her to experience it,” said Clark.

After she graduated from high school in 1937, a friend introduced Ruth to her future husband, Charles Clark. They were engaged after a year of dating and married on Thanksgiving in 1941, shortly before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

“I learned to always see the best side of everything,” she said about her life’s experiences. “Right as we returned from our honeymoon, America announced that we were going to war. We just had to see the best side of things.”

Clark worked at Reymers Candy Co. decorating Easter candy until the building was demolished.

“She’s very good at it,” said her daughter, Georgeann Starsnic. “She was able to do lettering and designs with just some icing and a piece of wax paper.”

Once Starsnic was in high school, Clark began working as a sales associate at Boggs & Buhl department store, where she continued to sell and decorate candy. After her work there, she worked at Wyman Pharmacy for 15 years.

Throughout her life, Clark loved to travel.

“I have itchy feet,” she said. “If I could pack up and go tomorrow, I would.”

Clark was reminiscent of her travels as she described her trips to Russia, India, Mexico and Canada. She named Egypt as her favorite destination, where she traveled down the Nile, rode camels and explored ancient tombs.

“That’s why her feet are so small,” added Barbara Trozzi, Clark’s granddaughter. “It’s because she’s always traveling.”

One of Starsnic’s favorite memories with her mother was a train ride that took them through multiple U.S. states and into Canada.

“Each night the train would stop, and we would stay in cabins in the states and cities we had traveled to that day,” said Starsnic. “I remember looking out the window and seeing the tracks from the animals that had walked past during the night.”

Clark’s family consists of one daughter, two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. They visit Clark as often as they can.

When asked what her favorite thing to do with her family when they visit is, Clark smiled and responded, “I just love to hug them.”