Community Celebration to take place Saturday, July 2nd, at 11am, @ Plummer Park
Ruth Forster Williams was laid to rest this morning, Friday, June 1st, at Mount Sinai Memorial Park. Family and Friends and many community members were in attendance to show their final respects. Williams passed after a series of strokes left her in a coma. She was 84 years old.
Williams moved to West Hollywood as a single mom with three young children, all boys, in the late 70’s. Mike Forster Williams spoke to his childhood and his activist mom and spending his 16th birthday handing out flyers on the East Side of West Hollywood to “Save our Park”
Williams ran for City Council in 1984, in the first West Hollywood election and was unsuccessful. In her 2002 bid for City Council she was defeated by John Duran. After that defeat Duran appointed Williams to the Public Safety Commission. Williams served on the Public Safety Commission for many years as the direct appointee of many different Council members and as an at-large appointee. All told Ruth is the longest serving Public Safety Commissioner in West Hollywood history.
Michael Forster Williams, Ruth’s youngest son had lost his father at a young age. When Ruth’s brother passed and it became clear that nobody would carry on the Forster name, Michael prepared a special gift for his mom. On his 18th birthday he presented his mom with a box, which Ruth opened. Inside were the papers in which Michael had legally changed his name. Michael had changed his last name name from Williams to Forster, dropping his dad’s name to carry on the legacy of his mother’s maiden name.
The service was conducted by Rabbi Denise Egar. She delivered a magnificent tribute to the life and legacy of the late Public Safety Commissioner and on of the founders of the City of West Hollywood. In attendance were Mayor Lauren Meister, Los Angeles County Tax Assessor Jeffrey Prang, Council members Lindsey Horvath and John Erickson, along with former Council members John Duran, Steve Martin, John Heilman and Abbe Land. Command Captain of the Los Angeles Sheriff Department Ed Ramirez, and the new Captain of the West Hollywood Sheriff Station Bill Moulder. I apologize if I left out anybody’s name.
Pallbearers were Johnathan Neubauer, Michael Carrier, Angel Ibarra, Jacob Forster, Steven Senigram, and Greg McIntyre. A celebration of Ruth’s life followed the service. Many gathered at Canters ‘kibbutz’ room. Ruth’s favorite restaurant.
Rest in Peace Ruth Williams, you are beloved and will never be forgotten.
May Ruth Williams serve as an example to the younger residents of the city for her longtime civic engagement in the creation and running of West Hollywood. She never quit working and caring for the city she loved.May she RIP.
Where are the current crop of residents that could be serving on City Council that share or shared the values of Ruth Williams?
Ruth and I were neighbors for 30+ years and during covid became very close. Our buildings were back to back and we chatted daily for several years. I grew to love her and respect her. I will now learn to miss her daily. Rest In Peace dear Ruth. You have earned your place in the cosmos and I expect when I look up now I will see a VERY bright star shining down. Shine on Ruth. Shine on.
We are deeply grateful to the irreplaceable Ruth Williams, whose active dedication to the betterment of West Hollywood made a positive impact of lasting value. We thank the family she adored for sharing her personal gifts with this community.
Thank you Ruth for being someone who cares about the community. Rest in Peace.
Ruth cared deeply about this community right up to the end. Her last battle was her vocal opposition to the Public Safety’s recommendation to de-fund the Sheriff. While Ruth appreciated the value of our Block by Block Security Ambassadors, she never thought they were a replacement for uniformed deputies. I spoke with Ruth in late April and she was frustrated that she could not come to the Council meetings in person to express her outrage and frustration. Ruth would be touched by the outpouring of gratitude for her years of dedication to the City.
Thank you for sharing, and for attending her service. She was one of the few people who seemed to be beloved by all. R.I.P.
Ruth was truly an angel on Earth; a loving mom, caring friend, fierce activist, tireless advocate and a blessing to WeHo. I miss you, Ruth. You are loved and missed.
We will remember you and honor your memory.
Rest In Power.