Lifelong Sag Harbor resident Ruth Ward Moylan dies at 79

Lifelong Sag Harbor resident Ruth Ward Moylan died on May 7 at her home. She was 79.

She was born September 6, 1930, the ninth of Elsa (née Konrad ) and John Ward’s 10 children. She raised her children in the same big white house at 82 Bay Street in Sag Harbor where she was born and raised.

She attended St. Andrew’s School and graduated from the Academy of the Sacred Heart in 1946. In 1953 she married William “Harry” Moylan. A stay-at-home mom, Mrs. Moylan loved cooking and being there for her children’s every need. During the summer, after preparing dinner early in the day, she would take her daughters down to the beach, family recalled.

Mrs. Moylan was very much involved in the family business, greeting customers and spreading kindness at every chance at the Newtown Grocery, which was mostly run by her husband. “Newtown Grocery was not only a business; it brought our family together,” her granddaughter Kathleen Samot said. Ms. Samot recalled that her parents met there and the family hung an “It’s a girl” banner in the window when her sister Mary was born.

Mrs. Moylan never missed her grandchildren’s school or church performances. “Gram always made me feel like I had accomplished something great, even if it was just a good grade on a test,” Ms. Samot said this week. “She was proud of everything we did, rewarding us by giving us little treats. My friends still talk about Gram picking us up [from Stella Maris School] in the Jeep and taking us for a snack.”

A devout Catholic, Mrs. Moylan always attended morning mass and was extremely involved within St. Andrew’s Church in Sag Harbor. “When we were small, we called Gram a church lady,” her granddaughter recalled, “Gram lived many of the virtues of Holy Mary: gentle, patient, kind and caring.” When Mrs. Moylan was no longer able to attend mass, she still received the Eucharist every Sunday.

Family said Mrs. Moylan was a very strong-willed woman who was never afraid to speak her mind. She stood for equality for women and strongly believed in teaching her daughters the importance of women’s role in society. “These values have in turn been passed down to my sisters and me,” Ms. Samot said.

Mrs. Moylan also enjoyed telling stories of her childhood and of the local happenings of Sag Harbor, family recalled, and had a witty sense of humor that will be dearly missed. “My grandmother lived an extremely fulfilled and happy life,” Ms. Samot said. “She would not want us to sit around and weep, she would want us to remember the happy times, and for those I am grateful.”

She is survived by two daughters, Theresa Moylan Samot and Ann Marie Moylan, both of Sag Harbor; two sisters, Margaret Toole of Sag Harbor and Alice King of Greenport; two brothers, John Ward of Sag Harbor and Edward Ward of New York City; three granddaughters, Mary Samot, Kathleen Samot and Colleen Samot, all of Sag Harbor; and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to her husband of 43 years, William “Harry” Moylan, who died in 1996, she was predeceased by two sisters, Florence Grimshaw and Anne Mott, and three brothers, Thomas Ward, Richard Ward, and George Ward.

A funeral mass was held on May 10 at St. Andrew’s Church in Sag Harbor. In lieu of flowers, donations to East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978 or Cormaria Retreat House, P.O. Box 1993, Sag Harbor, New York 11963 would be appreciated by the family.