Ruth Golden Ungerleider

Ruth Golden Ungerleider, a “Woman of Valor,” whose warmth, vivacity and courage inspired her family and friends, died on October 23, 2025, at Greenspring Village in Springfield, VA, where she had been a resident for many years. Ruth was the beloved military spouse of Brig. Gen. Alvin D. Ungerleider, who preceded her in death. As a military wife, she managed immense responsibilities as she moved, with her children, every one or two years to destinations as far-flung as Paraguay, Germany, California and Kansas. She will be fondly remembered for her work locally with the Sisterhood at Temple Olam Tikvah in preparing meals for those less fortunate, and as a longtime member of her beloved JCC where she was the multiple-time rowing champion in her age group. She also devoted time as a volunteer with the Virginia District Court system, where she ensured that individuals were reminded of their court dates and appeared as scheduled. And, of course, we all enjoyed the work she did at Color Me Beautiful. Her work there still influences our sartorial decisions. Her friends will remember her as lively, funny and someone who enjoyed being with other people. She was a woman who’d never hesitate to give advice, but who never told anyone her true age. The “secret” revealed here is that she was 99 and 10 months old when she died peacefully after a years-long struggle with dementia. She had outlived all of her contemporaries and often asked why she was still with us. Her family told her that she was a role model who inspired others, and her work here was not done. Even in her last months, she was still imparting life advice to her Greenspring and hospice caregivers. In the 1950s, when segregation dictated the rules of daily life, she shocked many around her in the South when she danced with an Ethiopian officer visiting the United States. She knew she had done the right thing. Ruth was born in Syracuse, NY, on Jan. 4, 1926. Her mother died when she was 17, leaving her to raise her younger brothers Burt and Bernie, who predeceased her. It was an upbringing in the most severe depression-era poverty, where even the basics of food and clothing were scarce. She is survived by three children, Neil (Diane Stern) Ungerleider, Ilene (Alex Pirie) Ungerleider, and Dan (Stacey) Ungerleider, as well as six grandchildren, Ben, Isaac, Sarah, Sage, Rachel and Alison, five great-grandchildren, Will, Noah, Ellie, Ayala and Gabe as well as numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom are better people because of her love and wisdom. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on November 16, at Temple Olam Tikvah, 3800 Glenbrook Rd. Fairfax, VA 22031. Interment will follow at a date to be determined at Arlington National Cemetery, where she will join her husband as a military Wife of Valor. It was her fondest wish that donations be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. May her memory be a blessing.

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Ruth Golden Ungerleider

January 4, 1926 - October 23, 2025