MANSFIELD, Ohio Three members of the Jared Mansfield Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, spent Monday afternoon visiting and honoring World War II veteran Ruth Smith Hennessey for her service as Senior Cadet Nurse.
Ruth started as a Jr. Cadet nurse in the United States Army Cadet Nurse Corps on July 1, 1943. A Cadet nurse was developed to take the place of the nurses who were going into active duty. She was discharged as a Senior Cadet nurse on Sept. 30, 1945, when the war ended. During her time, she spent six months at Nickols General Army Hospital in Louisville, Ky.
While working at the Louisville hospital, Ruth met her future husband where he was a patient. He had been injured in France, sent to England, then to the hospital in Kentucky.
He was from Boston, Massachusetts. They married at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Mansfield, Ohio, in 1946, and then moved to Boston to be near his family. They had four daughters and lived in Boston 14 years until his death. Several years after his death, she and the children moved back to Bellville, Ohio, to be near her family. Ruth worked at the Mansfield Health Department for 23 years.
On April 18, 2015, Ruth and her friend Jean Dill went on the Honor Flight to Washington D.C.
Along with four children, she also has 10 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.
Jared Mansfield Chapter members presented Ruth with a certificate to thank her for her service to our country, along with several other gifts. Members present were; Joan Wyatt, Sheila Larson and Pat Jennings.
The DAR, founded in 1890 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children.
Any woman 18 years or older who can prove lineal descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving American independence is eligible to join. We have answers to your questions about becoming a member of this historic and vibrant organization. Contact the chapter Registrar at 419-683-3667.
