Ruth Kingsley passed on June 25th surrounded by family at the age of 86. She was a resident of The Lutheran Home at Topton since 2015. Before that she was a longtime resident of Fleetwood and the Bethlehem area. Born in Reading, she was the daughter of Robert Esterline and Marion (Hoch) (Esterline) Achey; and step-daughter of John L. Achey and Violet ("Dolly") Esterline.

Ruth will be remembered as a beautiful, kind, creative, fun, stylish, generous, and deeply caring woman, mother and proud grandmother. She was a graduate of Fleetwood High School and received her BS in Art Education at Kutztown State Teachers College in 1953. She became a much beloved and inspirational art teacher in the region beginning at Fountain Hill High School in 1953, and later throughout several school districts including Dieruff High School, Swain School, and Reading High and Vocational Schools.

Ruth's artistic creativity was further reflected in her involvement with local theater in the Lehigh Valley, curating art shows, teaching at her home, and creating art works and crafts. She did not limit her talent to art, and was also a successful restaurant co-owner, manager, and designer. Later in life her artistic passion was expressed through designing, building and collecting miniature houses and rooms from the elegant to the fantastical.

She will be lovingly remembered by children Judith (Dubbs) Gillam of Putney, VT and her husband, Thomas, and George Kingsley and his wife, Darcy, of Forest Hills, NY.; by granddaughters, Aubrie Gillam, Liv and Tess Kingsley. She is also survived by her step-sister, Gloria (Achey) Kostyk and her husband, Edward, of Elgin, Ontario.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 14, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at Mae A. Stump Funeral Home, 117 West Main St, Fleetwood, PA.

Donations would be welcomed in memory of Ruth to Animals in Distress, P O Box 609, Coopersburg, PA 18036 animalsindistresspa.org