Ruth Mischik Ragland

Ruth Evelyn Mischik Ragland was the daughter of immigrants from Lithuania who met in the US, and she was proud to be a first generation American. Ruth was born in Cleveland on December 3,1926. Her father Justin worked at the White Motor Company, making cars and trucks and winning awards for his inventions. Ruth shared memories of outings with classmates on Lake Erie, and large family gatherings with her mother’s many siblings. She learned dressmaking in vocational school and moved to California to make costumes for the USC drama department. She created the wedding gown for the bride of the manager for Liberace, the famous pianist. She also took nursing classes, intending to do both fashion and nursing. 

She lived in New York City and worked for the fashion designer MainBocher, who created the wedding dress worn by Wallis Simpson, who enticed a king to leave his throne. She roomed with fashion models and her married friends helped fund Broadway shows (she attended the opening night of West Side Story in 1957). One apartment she lived in was storing art objects for the famous artist Louise Nevelson. 

She became a nurse and learned physical therapy and helped children who were blind or in wheelchairs. The actress Anne Bancroft came to her hospital to learn about children with special needs for her role in The Miracle Worker. 

Ruth “invented” the pencil pouch in 1949. She created a prototype and did patent research until she ran out of money. Who knows what her life would’ve been like if she had persisted. 

Her life changed in 1960 when she visited Nassau in the Bahamas and met Sam Ragland from Texarkana,Texas. He was managing a hotel in Nassau and that chance encounter resulted in marriage one year later. They lived part time on an out island in the Bahamas until Hurricane Betsy (1965) destroyed their home. 

Ruth and Sam settled in North Miami and Miami Shores. They maintained close relationships with Sam’s children from his first marriage and had two children together. She was the caretaker for her parents who lived into their 90s and Sam who battled cancer for two years with her help. 

Once Ruth’s caretaking and motherhood subsided, she became a traveler, with trips to Australia, Hawaii, Greece, Lithuania, and Alaska to watch the Iditarod dogsled race (at age 75).

She was a wonderful grandmother to her grandsons, and taught them about their grandfather who flew 65 missions in World War II. She walked daily, enjoying nature and the ocean. She was involved with a woman’s organization (PEO) and the Miami Shores Garden Club.

She lived almost 96 years and was passionate about living and learning until the end.

She is survived by her son David Ragland, daughter Donna Greene, son in law Greg, and grandsons Shawn and Austin.