Ruth Elinor Engan

Ruth Elinor Heckman Engan, 89, passed away February 21 in Sylva, North Carolina. Born in Yonkers, NY, to Frederick and Sophia Kyff Heckman, Ruth graduated from Walton High School in The Bronx in 1949 and went right to work in NYC for the Babcock & Wilcox Company. She never sat still again. Ruth eventually married Stanley Engan in 1955 and continued to enjoy working and contributing to society and her family. When her only child arrived in 1962, Ruth was a dedicated stay-at-home mother and eventually moved to Cape Cod, Massachusetts with her family when her husband bought a business. When her daughter was old enough and in school, she returned to work for the job she loved most: Administrative Assistant to Scotty Whitelaw and Clayton Chapman at the Eastern College Athletic Conference based in Centerville, Massachusetts. There she kept us all apprised of the next and greatest ballgame, and she knew how to get the tickets! Ruth eventually moved to Florida to retire in 1996. She loved her condominium, her cat and her neighbors. After much insistence from her daughter, she eventually made her way to Robbinsville, North Carolina in 2016 where she lived with her family until her final day. In her younger years, Ruth was very athletic and was a semi-professional bowler! She was known as a kind, quiet lady with a quick wit. She loved to cook, garden, read and do needlework, knew all about antiques, and had a beautiful eye for home design. She loved animals, birds and could tell you all about plants. She also loved a good joke. Most of all, she loved Carol. A decades long member of the Eastern Star, Ruth had a quiet relationship with her God, and always, always followed the Golden Rule. Ruth is survived by her only child, Carol Engan Borrelli and her husband Samuel Borrelli of Robbinsville, North Carolina. Sam was her best friend. We will love and miss her until we meet again in eternity. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that remembrances of Ruth be sent to Four Seasons Foundation – Hospice, 571 S.Allen Rd. Flat Rock, NC 28731