Ruth Margaret Cooper April 18th 1953 – December 29th 2009

St Michael’s Church, Blackmoor is not a small church, but even so, it was completely packed on April 24th 2010 for the memorial service and celebration of the life of Ruth Cooper who had died on December 29th 2009. Although the congregation was mourning Ruth’s death, it was an uplifting and lifeaffirming occasion. Members of Ruth’s family and many of her friends gave tribute to her and to her involvement in many activities and interests. Ruth had asked for particular readings and music to be played (and sung) and her wishes were complied with. The choir she used to sing with, ‘Cantique’, joined St Michael’s church choir to sing The Heavens are telling from Haydn’s Creation. There were some Girl Guide camp-fire songs, railway reminiscences, a song from Gilbert & Sullivan’s Patience sung by Ruth’s younger son, Adrian, and memories of their Nana from her grandsons read by their mother. The most poignant part of the service was when a recording of the aria He was despised from Handel’s Messiah was played. It was sung by Ruth herself; a recording made shortly before Ruth had to give up singing.

A peal to celebrate Ruth’s life had been rung at Hawkley in the morning, while a quarter peal was rung immediately before the service. Afterwards the bellringers served tea and cakes in true ‘bellringers tea’ style.

The following is reproduced from Changes, the newsletter of the Alton & Petersfield District of the Winchester & Portsmouth D.G.

Ruth came to ringing when she and her husband, Malcolm, volunteered to be trained as members of a band for All Saints church, Alton, when it was suggested that a new ring of 6 bells should be installed and fund-raising started. The trainees were allocated to several different towers within the district – Ruth and Malcolm went to Froyle where they were later joined by their younger son, Adrian. Ruth took to ringing like a duck to water – her enthusiasm knew no bounds and she was soon acting as Tower Captain at All Saints for their 3 bell practices. However, fund raising was taking a long time and Ruth had a lot of living, and a lot of bellringing, to do in what she knew was a relatively short time – So, in rapid succession she became Tower Captain at Blackmoor, and a valued and energetic member of the Winchester and Portsmouth Guild Education Committee. She and Malcolm were invariably among the first on the scene handing out time sheets and name stickers at the various Education days. Ruth personally devised an informative lecture on “Listening to your bell” – the last one delivered to a captivated audience in early 2009. She was a valued and very active member of the Alton and Petersfield District and will be very much missed.

Music was a very important part of Ruth’s life. She played the violin in Stoneleigh Youth Orchestra from quite a young age, and also had a turn at leading the school orchestra at Dorking High School. She was a good Alto singer in the City of Birmingham Orchestra Chorus while at Teacher Training College at Edgbaston. They performed mainly at the Birmingham Town Hall – but she also did her first concert at the Royal Festival Hall with them in the early 70s. Ruth and Malcolm were members of the Royal Philharmonic Choir for about 25 years until their move to Alton in 1996. It was a privileged time, Ruth said, when they sang in hundreds of concerts at the Royal Festival and Royal Albert Halls, and made numerous recordings with professional conductors, orchestras and soloists as well as some trips abroad for concerts with the choir. (It was a private joke for Ruth when she chose “Go forth upon your journey” from The Dream of Gerontius as the recessional music for her funeral – the recording was one she and Malcolm had sung in “so I shall sing myself out” she said). Ruth and Malcolm have also had several years singing with the Waverley Singers and a small local choir, ‘Cantique’. Ruth also enjoyed playing ‘fiddle’ for a local Folk group, and Morris group.

Her love affair with Cornwall began in her mid-twenties while on a family holiday – and never ended. She loved the North Coast between Bude and Padstow, and onto Bodmin Moor, she especially loved the cliffs at Tintagel. Ruth also had a passion for bridges, in particular Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridge over the Tamar, which was also, of course the gateway to Cornwall. She was really happy that she was able to take a trip in May to the Bridge to help celebrate its 150th Anniversary, in spite of her, by then, rather frail condition. Another passion for Ruth has been the railway (notably for the steam engines). One of the ‘perks’ of moving to Alton for her was being able to play on the Watercress Line!

Wildlife became another interest, especially birds and seabirds. She enjoyed some holidays to the Shetland Isles, where to be able to sit on the cliffs surrounded by puffins was for her, an experience she described as “Bizarre!”.

Ruth and Malcolm had three children, Alistair, Rachel, and Adrian. During their schooldays Ruth tended to keep ‘Open house’ for them and their friends, as well as, at various times, helping at schools, being a ‘Brown Owl’ and a Rainbow Guider. She loved cricket, and like her Mum, avidly listened to Test Match Special. She and Malcolm produced two good cricketers in Alistair and Adrian, while Rachel married a cricketer, and two of their three boys are following in Dad’s footsteps. Adrian proved to be a good bellringer, but has since temporarily forsaken the bells to follow a musical bent – he enjoys singing in major roles for an amateur (but good) Gilbert and Sullivan Operatic Society.

Ruth’s life has been cruelly cut short. She was never afraid to admit that she had cancer, and was determined that it should not rule her life, even when complications forced her to give up her singing and eventually her bellringing. She was grateful, however, for the opportunity to meet so many good and true friends through these various phases of her life. Those friends will also be grateful for the opportunity to have known Ruth, both as a friend, and for those who have rung with her, as a bell ringer whose enthusiasm for the exercise has inspired many in the Alton & Petersfield District and even farther afield. She was a lovely, friendly, and hard-working lady whose absence will be felt in many spheres.St Michael’s Church, Blackmoor is not a small church, but even so, it was completely packed on April 24th 2010 for the memorial service and celebration of the life of Ruth Cooper who had died on December 29th 2009. Although the congregation was mourning Ruth’s death, it was an uplifting and lifeaffirming occasion. Members of Ruth’s family and many of her friends gave tribute to her and to her involvement in many activities and interests. Ruth had asked for particular readings and music to be played (and sung) and her wishes were complied with. The choir she used to sing with, ‘Cantique’, joined St Michael’s church choir to sing The Heavens are telling from Haydn’s Creation. There were some Girl Guide camp-fire songs, railway reminiscences, a song from Gilbert & Sullivan’s Patience sung by Ruth’s younger son, Adrian, and memories of their Nana from her grandsons read by their mother. The most poignant part of the service was when a recording of the aria He was despised from Handel’s Messiah was played. It was sung by Ruth herself; a recording made shortly before Ruth had to give up singing. A peal to celebrate Ruth’s life had been rung at Hawkley in the morning, while a quarter peal was rung immediately before the service. Afterwards the bellringers served tea and cakes in true ‘bellringers tea’ style. The following is reproduced from Changes, the newsletter of the Alton & Petersfield District of the Winchester & Portsmouth D.G. Ruth came to ringing when she and her husband, Malcolm, volunteered to be trained as members of a band for All Saints church, Alton, when it was suggested that a new ring of 6 bells should be installed and fund-raising started. The trainees were allocated to several different towers within the district – Ruth and Malcolm went to Froyle where they were later joined by their younger son, Adrian. Ruth took to ringing like a duck to water – her enthusiasm knew no bounds and she was soon acting as Tower Captain at All Saints for their 3 bell practices. However, fund raising was taking a long time and Ruth had a lot of living, and a lot of bellringing, to do in what she knew was a relatively short time – So, in rapid succession she became Tower Captain at Blackmoor, and a valued and energetic member of the Winchester and Portsmouth Guild Education Committee. She and Malcolm were invariably among the first on the scene handing out time sheets and name stickers at the various Education days. Ruth personally devised an informative lecture on “Listening to your bell” – the last one delivered to a captivated audience in early 2009. She was a valued and very active member of the Alton and Petersfield District and will be very much missed. Music was a very important part of Ruth’s life. She played the violin in Stoneleigh Youth Orchestra from quite a young age, and also had a turn at leading the school orchestra at Dorking High School. She was a good Alto singer in the City of Birmingham Orchestra Chorus while at Teacher Training College at Edgbaston. They performed mainly at the Birmingham Town Hall – but she also did her first concert at the Royal Festival Hall with them in the early 70s. Ruth and Malcolm were members of the Royal Philharmonic Choir for about 25 years until their move to Alton in 1996. It was a privileged time, Ruth said, when they sang in hundreds of concerts at the Royal Festival and Royal Albert Halls, and made numerous recordings with professional conductors, orchestras and soloists as well as some trips abroad for concerts with the choir. (It was a private joke for Ruth when she chose “Go forth upon your journey” from The Dream of Gerontius as the recessional music for her funeral – the recording was one she and Malcolm had sung in “so I shall sing myself out” she said). Ruth and Malcolm have also had several years singing with the Waverley Singers and a small local choir, ‘Cantique’. Ruth also enjoyed playing ‘fiddle’ for a local Folk group, and Morris group. Her love affair with Cornwall began in her mid-twenties while on a family holiday – and never ended. She loved the North Coast between Bude and Padstow, and onto Bodmin Moor, she especially loved the cliffs at Tintagel. Ruth also had a passion for bridges, in particular Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridge over the Tamar, which was also, of course the gateway to Cornwall. She was really happy that she was able to take a trip in May to the Bridge to help celebrate its 150th Anniversary, in spite of her, by then, rather frail condition. Another passion for Ruth has been the railway (notably for the steam engines). One of the ‘perks’ of moving to Alton for her was being able to play on the Watercress Line! Wildlife became another interest, especially birds and seabirds. She enjoyed some holidays to the Shetland Isles, where to be able to sit on the cliffs surrounded by puffins was for her, an experience she described as “Bizarre!”. Ruth and Malcolm had three children, Alistair, Rachel, and Adrian. During their schooldays Ruth tended to keep ‘Open house’ for them and their friends, as well as, at various times, helping at schools, being a ‘Brown Owl’ and a Rainbow Guider. She loved cricket, and like her Mum, avidly listened to Test Match Special. She and Malcolm produced two good cricketers in Alistair and Adrian, while Rachel married a cricketer, and two of their three boys are following in Dad’s footsteps. Adrian proved to be a good bellringer, but has since temporarily forsaken the bells to follow a musical bent – he enjoys singing in major roles for an amateur (but good) Gilbert and Sullivan Operatic Society. Ruth’s life has been cruelly cut short. She was never afraid to admit that she had cancer, and was determined that it should not rule her life, even when complications forced her to give up her singing and eventually her bellringing. She was grateful, however, for the opportunity to meet so many good and true friends through these various phases of her life. Those friends will also be grateful for the opportunity to have known Ruth, both as a friend, and for those who have rung with her, as a bell ringer whose enthusiasm for the exercise has inspired many in the Alton & Petersfield District and even farther afield. She was a lovely, friendly, and hard-working lady whose absence will be felt in many spheres.

Anita Seamons