M. Ruth LeClaire Marino

M. Ruth (Stefansky) LeClaire Marino, 89, of Sutton, passed away peacefully at Saint Vincent’s Hospital on Monday, December 25, 2023, after a short illness.

Ruth is pre-deceased by her husband of 53 years, Donald H. LeClaire, Sr, of Sutton.   She leaves her husband of 15 years, Robert F. Marino; 4 children: Donald H. LeClaire, Jr., and his wife, Robin, of Sutton, Scott M. LeClaire and his wife, Pam, of Douglas, Victoria E. Mills of Lookout Mountain, GA, and Todd P. LeClaire and his husband, Reginaldo Araujo, of Weymouth; 8 grandchildren: Anna-Rae Montano and her husband Anthony, of Agawam, Scotty LeClaire of Holden, Amanda Stabler and her husband Mark, of Lincoln, UK, Andrew Mills of Los Angeles, CA, Emily Clavin and her husband Kevin, of Nashville, TN, Gregory Mills, of Boston, Anna Mills and Sunny Mills of Chattanooga, TN;  5 great grandchildren: Arabella and Aurora Montano, Jack Clavin, Brody Dubois, and Matthew Stabler; a brother-in-law, Joseph Marino, and sister-in-law, Lorraine Marino; 5 step children and 13 grand step children.

Ruth was born in Brighton on April 10, 1934, the daughter of the late Peter and Anna Stefansky, and was raised in Worcester.  She later moved to Sutton in 1966.

A member of the Cat Fanciers Federation for over 50 years, Ruth was passionate about cats and began showing shaded silver Persians in the early 1970’s.  She then started a successful breeding program that lasted for more than 25 years, producing multiple generations of national and international grand champion award winning cats, which she and her late husband showed throughout the eastern United States and Canada.   She loved the thrill of competition and continued showing her beautiful cats up until her last show in November 2023, in Sutton.   She was a founding member of the Central Massachusetts Feline Fanciers, where she held several titles over the years, and a member of the Silver Society, the National Persian Breed Club, and the Massachusetts Colony Cat Club.   Over the years, the Clubs raised thousands of dollars for animal welfare organizations and charities, and she was a longtime advocate for the ethical treatment of all animals.   Ruth loved the beach, flowers, shopping, Christmas and going out to dinner.  But more than anything, she loved spending time in her backyard by the pool, glass of wine in hand, among her family, friends and animals.

Public calling hours in remembrance of Ruth’s life will be from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Friday, December 29^th, in Mulhane Home for Funerals, 45 N. Main Street, Millbury, followed by a service at 2:00 p.m. in the funeral home.  Her graveside service will be private for family members only.   

Ruth’s family requests that contributions in her memory be made to the MSPCA-Angell at

www.mspca.org

 If you would like to send flowers to these services Mulhane Home for Funerals recommends