A memorial service for long-time UUCville member Ruth Douglas will be held at UUCville on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at 2 PM, officiated by Rev. Tim Temersen.

Following the service, there will be a reception in the Social Hall. Congregation members are invited to bring finger foods to share.

We are expecting a large attendance for Ruth’s memorial, so please plan to carpool if possible.

If you are unable to attend in person, you may join the memorial service via Zoom CLICK HERE 

Ruth Douglas

1939 – 2026

Ruth Ann Douglas of Charlottesville, VA, aged 87, passed away unexpectedly on June 27, 2026 while travelling with a dear friend in British Colombia, Canada. She was doing what she loved – travelling, exploring a new place, and immersed in nature.

Ruth was born in 1939 to Edward and Elizabeth Douglas in Plainfield, NJ, and was raised in Caldwell, NJ. Her mother’s interest in wildflowers undoubtedly sparked her lifelong interest in plants and flowers She graduated from St. Lawrence University majoring in biology, then obtained a masters degree in zoology at Syracuse University. Her subsequent teaching experience ranged from high school to community colleges, and she returned to graduate school to obtain a Ph.D. in higher educational administration from Florida State University.

Ruth joined the Peace Corps in 1968, serving in Belize (formerly British Honduras.) On her return she worked for the Library of Congress as a researcher, returning to teaching at Northern Virginia and Piedmont Virginia Community Colleges. She worked in Japan as administrator for educational programs on military bases all over the Pacific. She retired from PVCC in 2001.

To prepare for retirement she took courses in plant identification, ecology, botany and horticulture. She helped establish the Blue Ridge Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM) and held various positions in the Virginia Native Plant Society. She served as Invasive Plant Educator and participated in legislative work regarding invasive plants. She was instrumental in creating the Rivanna Master Naturalist program and was past president of the Ivy Creek Foundation, where she also led wildflower walks and Master Naturalist classes. Ruth was a valuable member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charlottesville, serving on the board and many committees over the past 30+ years.

Ruth is survived by her partner Phillip Wampler of Mountain View, MO, sister Priscilla Douglas and brother-in-law Tom Cooper of Burlington, VT, brother Duncan Douglas and sister-in-law Judy Douglas in Australia, niece Sarah Cooper and partner Jake Evans of Clinton, MA, niece Bonnie Douglas and partner Stephen Watt in Australia, nephew Edward Douglas and wife Kym of Nokomis, FL, five grandnieces and nephews, and many beloved members of the Hess and Douglas clans.

Donations in her memory may be made to the Ivy Creek Foundation, or Virginia Native Plant Society.

Friends, go forth and live your lives to the fullest. Relish nature, be curious, and think of Ruth whenever you pull up an invasive plant or see beauty in the world.