Ruth G. Bascom

Ruth Glaser Bascom died suddenly on January 7th at the age of 95 at Middlebrook Farms in Trumbull, Connecticut. She was the beloved wife of the late Robert Bascom (“Bob”) and they shared 75 years of marriage, until his passing two months ago. The highlight of turbulent 2020 was the celebration of their enduring and loving marriage.

Ruth was born in Boston on July 28, 1925, the youngest daughter of Samuel and Sue Elden Glaser.  Sam, an immigrant from the Ukraine, and Sadie (Sue) who gave up her United States citizenship to marry him, were hardworking and entrepreneurial. Later, each were to found and run their own retail establishments, Pennyworth and The Young Folk’s Shoppe, in Ansonia, Connecticut. Despite the long hours of work, and the many deprivations of the Great Depression, they were a close and loving family. Sam and Sue were to remain Ruth’s models for marriage, character, and generosity until the day she died.

Ruth graduated from Ansonia High School in 1943, at the age of 16, and upon graduation courageously went to Washington, D.C., alone, to join the war effort.  She was assigned to work for the Admiral who was the liaison to the Manhattan Project, and was given top secret clearance. Many luminaries passed through that office while Ruth worked there, but the biggest luminary of all was Bob Bascom, a Naval sailor, whose assigned position was preservation of governmental records in the event of nuclear war. He landed in Ruth’s office in the fall of 1944, and by February, 1945, they were married and Bob was shipped off to the Pacific.

While working for the Navy, Ruth enrolled in American University. When she left the Navy, her office pals wrote, on Secretary of Navy stationery,: ”You’ve been a swell pal-the best kind of gal, personality plus-and that smile!” They nailed who she was and who she continued to be throughout her long life.

Bob came back from the Pacific, enrolled in college, and the couple started a family with their daughter Donna’s arrival in 1951. Eventually, the couple moved to Long Island, for Bob’s work in the private sector, where he continued his research in record and equipment preservation. Their next daughter, Bobbi, arrived in 1954. During Donna’s and Bobbi’s early childhood Ruth stayed home and raised their daughters. The family moved to Syosset and then Woodbury, Long Island, where Ruth and Bob lived for more than thirty years.

Ruth’s ambition and strong drive to achieve were too large to contain her at home, and unlike many suburban women of her time, Ruth went  back to work and held various administrative positions. She found her calling in real estate and was a top selling producer in her real estate office, Coach, where she worked for many years.  Ruth’s real estate prowess landed her a starring role in a national print ad for Volvo.

Despite her career, Ruth was a devoted mother to Donna and Bobbi, and took great satisfaction in their academic and career achievements, and later, would adore her sons-in-law and grandchildren.

Ruth and Bob retired to NJ and spent a wonderful retirement full of activity and many friends, splitting their time between NJ and Florida. She loved her golf groups, her regular bridge games, and especially, cocktails with friends.

In later years they moved to Connecticut to be closer to their daughters. Left to cherish her memory are daughters Donna Bascom and husband, Paul Biddelman, of Manhattan and Goshen, Connecticut and Barbara Crocker (“Bobbi’) and her husband, Russell Crocker, of Westport, Connecticut. She also leaves behind her adored grandchildren, Sari Biddelman (husband Gene Sussman), Flip Biddelman (wife Emily Meath), Jonathan Crocker (wife Emily) and Gregory Crocker (fiancé Marisa Preston.)

A graveside service will be  held on January 13th at 11:30 AM at Willowbrook Cemetery in Westport, Connecticut.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Ruth’s memory may be made to either Rethink Food or Feeding America. Ruth had a strong social conscience and her memories of Depression era struggles never left her, so a contribution to organizations fighting food insecurity are a fitting way to honor her memory.

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