Catching up: At age 90, Ruth McCracken was delighted to share a Saturday lunch with players and coaching staff from Richmond Football Club in 2019.
Photo by
Ash Witoslawski
Ruth McCracken lived a long and full life, brimming with love for her family, her football club, and the Tatura community. Ruth passed away aged 93 on December 10, and those she left behind celebrate her life.
Ruth was born at Tongala Bush Nursing Hospital on April 9, 1928, to farmers Harold and Doris Davis.
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The family moved to Tatura when Ruth was eight years old, where she became ingrained in the community.
Ruth and her brother John attended Tatura State School; when she was 12 years old Ruth sat a merit exam and gained a place to study at Sacred Heart Tatura.
Teenage sweethearts: Ted and Ruth met when they were aged 17 and 14 respectively and were in love for the rest of their lives. They are pictured here in 2010.
At age 14, Ruth met her future husband Ted, then 17, at a film screening in Tatura’s Victory Hall.
The next year Ruth left school and started work at Flanagan’s Store.
The pair married when Ruth was 17 and Ted was 21, and lived out a life-long love story.
Ruth and Ted’s wedding on November 10, 1945, was the first dressed wedding in Tatura after the war finished, and almost the whole town went to see them at none other than Victory Hall.
A beautiful couple: Ted and Ruth McCracken on their wedding day, November 10, 1945.
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Contributed
On the occasion of their 74th wedding anniversary in 2019, Ruth told The News she and Ted grew up together and experienced life’s greatest moments by each other’s side.
Together Ruth and Ted had six children, four boys and two girls.
Sadly their sons Eddie and David, who lived with muscular dystrophy, died at age 16.
Ruth and Ted later adopted sons Stephen and Andrew, who were adored by their big sisters Penny and Chris.
Ruth loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren deeply.
School girls: Ruth McCracken (left) with a friend at a Back to Tatura event, enjoying a snack.
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Contributed
Ruth had a beautiful singing voice, and throughout her life sang at weddings, concerts and in the church choir.
She joined Turaton Music Company at age 40, and appeared in a wide variety of shows, including The Mikado, Die Fledermaus, Show Boat and Fiddler on the Roof.
Together with four women from Turaton and pianist Geoff Cabble, Ruth sang in a group called Flair for 12 years.
Ruth was always involved in community activities, helping out in the church guild, the football club, the mothers’ club and Tatura Tennis Club.
Tennis was a passion Ruth discovered in adulthood, first picking up the racquet in her 40s and playing until she was nearly 80.
Family: Penny Gleeson, Andrew McCracken, Ruth and Ted McCracken, Christine Hughan and Stephen McCracken.
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Picasa
Ruth became a Richmond Football Club supporter in 1942 and never looked back.
While Ted invited her aboard the Tigers’ train, she soon became an even more avid fan than her other half.
As a married couple, the two regularly made the trip to Melbourne to watch their beloved team; after milking the cows at 5am they would travel to the city and spend the day there.
True love: Ruth and Ted McCracken celebrate 70 years of marriage in 2015.
Photo by
Ray Sizer
One year Ruth and Ted attended 11 games in a row, all of which the Tigers won, making for 11 happy trips home to Tatura.
Ruth lived at Moyola Lodge in Tatura during her final years, and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she wrote to The News to share how she and the residents were making an effort to stay positive.
Making tomato chutney or enjoying a cup of tea with friends were the simple pleasures that helped boost morale, Ruth said.
A funeral service celebrated Ruth McCracken’s life at All Saints Anglican Church Tatura on December 15.
Number one fan: Ruth jumped on board the Tigers’ train in 1942 at Ted’s encouragement and spent nearly 80 years barracking for Richmond.
Photo by
Julie Mercer
