Ruth, (my Mother, Ruth Sharon Hoffman) was a wonderful woman, who got dealt a bad hand early off in life.
She took that bad hand and turned it into a royal flush. Her mom had 11 children and had to put most of them into foster care..
My mom was one of the first ones to get out of foster care and get a job. Then she met my dad and they instantly fell in love. They were married within two months. Then, they worked together getting her siblings out of foster care..
They took them (her siblings) one by one until they could find a job and an apartment. My mom has done so much good in her life..
Everyone loved her and she loved everyone. She was always helping someone, even people she did not know. This woman had a voice like an angel, and even taught herself how to play the piano..
Pastor Jimmy Anderson wants her to come back and rejoin the church. He says they miss her singing and piano playing..
Pastor Jimmy is a friend of the family..
Back to my Mom and Dad.....
They tried to get pregnant for awhile, and eventually had to go to a doctor. They were told there was something wrong with my mom and she would never be able to have children..
My dad told me that really broke her heart because she had so much love to give and she wanted to have lots of children. She told my dad to hold onto his faith, and they prayed for 6 years. In 1962, she became pregnant with me, and I was born on Nov. 13, 1962..
Against all odds, she was finally able to have a child, and soon afterward, she had to have a full hysterectomy. .
When I was 6 months old, my mom found a job singing in a bar. There, she met Roger Lindon, and divorced my dad. Mom then married Roger Lindon..
I know my dad was quite the ladies man, but everyone said it was probably because of the hysterectomy. At that time, we lived in Middletown, Ohio. Because Roger wanted a son, and my mom was unable to have more children, it began to cause problems after 11 yrs of marriage. My mom couldn't give him children, so he met a woman and she soon became pregnant with his son. He still wanted to be with my mom, but it was too painful for my mom, so we packed up and moved to Michigan. I was 12 and to make a very long story short, I have to leave alot out and jump ahead several years..
In 1983, I got married, and became pregnant. My mom found love again with Robert Russie, and she and he got married..
In 1985, my mom and I looked for an apartment together because she was going through a divorce from Robert Russie, who had broken her arm. I also was trying to get out of a very abusive marriage. My mother was diagnosed with a chemical imbalance in her brain in 1983. She was taking Lithium for this..
Back to 1985....... We found an apartment at 58 Leroy St. in River Rouge, Michigan. At that time, my Mom and I worked as barmaids. I became pregnant in late 1985 with my 3rd child, and my mom was more excited that I was! We were even working on a nursery together for the new baby..
We were both at a place in our lives where were both finally really happy, until the night my mom had an interview with the owner of the PoorHouse Saloon in River Rouge. This was June 29th, 1986..
That was the night that robbed her from our lives forever..
She had a 9 pm appointment with the owner. It was about 11 pm and I remember thinking she should have been home by now, so I called the bar and they said she had left an hour ago..
I asked if there was anyone with her when she left, and they said they didn't know. When it got to 2 am, and she still wasn't home, I was calling all the hospitals in the area, and the local police stations. This was not typical of her at all, especially because I was 8 months pregnant, she knew I would be very worried. I stayed up all night long pacing the floor, and then I saw a yellow cab pull up and as soon as I saw my mom, I took a huge sigh of relief..
When she got out of the cab, I noticed she was in hospital greens ( scrubs) and she looked like she had been in a car accident. I took her into our apartment because she was shaking and crying really bad..
I asked her " What happened?" and she told me that she had been raped and beat by two men. I ran to the bathroom and started running her a bath. After she got in the bath, she started to calm down enough to tell me what had happened. .
I sat on the floor next to the tub and listened to her tell me what happened. She said the owner of the bar told her she had got the job, but that she needed to fill out an application. He then said, he needed to drop off his buddy from out of town at his motel room and suggested she come with him to get the application. So they arrived at the motel and the bar owner said his briefcase was inside, that she should come in and fill it out there so she could start work the next day..
So, this is what she did. Right off the bat he started flirting and saying " Let's have some fun, the three of us". My mom told them to take their hands off her, and he said, " All you bitches are the same..... you think you are better than everyone else!".
They began hitting and kicking her, and knocked her down to the floor. They both took their turns with my mom for hours..
After her bath, she put her makeup on and got dressed. I asked her where she was going and she said just for a walk. She also said, " They will not get away with this, one way or another.".
That was the last time I ever saw my mom. My mom was my everything. A big thanks to RR police dept for NOT doing anything! I probably will never know what happened to my mom..
Debbie Lynn