Ruth Boll

Ruth Suzanne (Senn) Boll passed away at St. Mary's Care Center in Madison on Friday, December 21, 2018, at the age of 93. She had lived in Madison since 1962, when she came to the city as a newlywed to join her husband, John J. Boll, who taught in the School of Library Science at the University. Ruth and John first met in 1934, when she was eight and he 12 years old, in Switzerland, when their parents became friends. They re-met in the late 1950s when John visited Switzerland, and after a transatlantic courtship, married in Binningen, Switzerland, in January 1961. Ruth raised three children with John in Madison as a devoted and loving mother and wife. She was a longstanding member of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ.

Ruth was born on August 9, 1925, in Basel, Switzerland, the daughter of Dr. Alfred Senn, and Gertrud (Ré�schard) Senn, both of Basel. While Ruth spent most of her early years in Basel, her father's work as a geologist took the family overseas for several extended stays that greatly influenced her life and outlook. The family lived in remote and sparsely settled areas of Venezuela twice during the late 1920s, and in Barbados, British West Indies, from 1937-1945. Ruth attended primary school and the Mé�dchengymnasium (Girls High School) in Basel. She then attended the Ursuline Convent School in Barbados, where she quickly learned English, receiving a Higher School Certificate in 1944. She was elected "Head Girl" of her house at the Convent School in 1942-1943. Her group of friends, known to each other affectionately as the "gang," remained close for life. Almost all the young men in the group were killed during the Second World War, having volunteered to join the Royal Air Force as pilots. That loss marked Ruth's life.

Upon the family's return to Switzerland after the war, Ruth lived for five years with the family of Max Uehlinger, a well known sculptor in Minusio, Ticino, in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. She studied sculpture there, learned Italian, and also made friends she would keep for life. She then worked for several years as an assistant at the Psychiatric Clinic in Basel, before her marriage.

Ruth's qualities affected all who met her. She was the definition of kindness and modesty. She treated everyone with generosity, patience, and understanding, which brought joy to all around her. Her example led others to join in trying to make the world a better place through their own words and conduct. Her deep Christian faith informed her own behavior. She never criticized others, and saw only goodness, or its potential, in all beings.

Ruth was preceded in death by her husband in 2013. She is survived by three children, Alfred Boll of Washington, DC (Joost van Hout), Stephen (Julie) Boll of Franklin, Wis., and Catherine (Neal) Miller of Middleton; five grandchildren, Maxwell, Kennedy, and Lindsey Boll, and Samuel and Lucas Miller; a sister, Ursula Strauss-Senn of Basel, Switzerland; a cousin, Urs Senn of Walchwil, Switzerland; and family in Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 5, at 2:00 pm, in the Chapel at ST. MARY'S CARE CENTER, 3401 Maple Grove Drive, Madison. The Rev. Dr. Leslie Schenk will officiate. A reception will follow the service. A visitation will be held from 1:00 pm until the time of the service on Saturday.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, any donations in Ruth's memory be given to St. Mary's Care Center, 3401 Maple Grove Drive, Madison, WI 53719, toward the activities budget.

Cress Funeral and Cremation Services
3610 Speedway Rd, Madison
608-238-3434