September 30, 2026
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Ruth Elizabeth Matheson (née Bradley) of Tiverton died Sept. 27, 2026, at the age of 97.
Beloved wife of the late John “Johnny” Matheson (2005).
Loving mother of Kay Matheson, Sandee Matheson, Sue Matheson (Wayne Cochrane), and John Matheson (Suzanne Bell-Matheson).
Proud grandmother of Denny, Sarah, Andrew, Mackenzie, and Grace; and great-grandmother of Noah and Levi.
Fondly remembered by her brother, Ray Bradley (Ann); and sister-in-law, June Bradley (Vern).
Predeceased by her parents, Ivan and Vera Bradley; her children, JoAnne Solomon and Robbie Matheson; and her brother, Vern Bradley.
Ruth grew up in Underwood, where her parents owned and operated the local gas station. She attended Port Elgin High School, where she began a life that would remain deeply connected to the communities of Bruce County.
She met the love of her life, John “Johnny” Matheson, and they were married in October, 1950, at the Elgin Lodge in Port Elgin. They moved to Ridgeville, where their first child was born, before settling back in Tiverton, where they welcomed five more children.
Ruth was a woman who was never afraid to roll up her sleeves and get to work. Throughout her life, she held many different jobs, including working as a telephone operator at the Bruce Municipal Telephone Service (now Bruce Telecom), serving as a waitress at the Polka Dot Diner, operating a rural postal route, and helping run the family business, Matheson Lumber, with John.
Family and community were always important to Ruth. As her children were growing, she became active with Cub Scouts as Baloo in the local pack. Later in life, she devoted countless hours to the Bruce County Museum, where she could often be found carefully clipping birth announcements, wedding notices, and obituaries from local newspapers for the archives. Her dedication helped preserve the stories and history of the community she loved.
Ruth was also an avid and talented quilter. She enjoyed making quilts for auction at the Tiverton Fall Fair and was proud to have received several awards for her work. Her creativity extended well beyond quilting. Over the years, she enjoyed pottery-making, wood-carving, copper-etching, leather-tooling, calligraphy, genealogy and cake-decorating.
And then there was her garden. Ruth loved to putter around among her flowers, tending to them with the same patience and care she brought to so many things in her life. Her garden was a reflection of her — creative, hard-working, and full of life.
John and Ruth eventually built the log house that would become their home — a testament to their hard work, determination, and ability to do things themselves.
Ruth lived a long and remarkable life, filled with family, work, creativity, community, and countless stories. She leaves behind a family who will carry those stories with them and remember her with love, gratitude, and affection.
She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.
A come-and-go Celebration of Life will be held Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, from 3- 6 p.m., at the Davey-Linklater Funeral Home, Kincardine. Refreshments will be available, and family and friends are welcome to join us in remembering and celebrating her life.
Interment, Tiverton Cemetery.
As expressions of sympathy, donations to the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre or Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Canada (Breakthrough T1D), would be appreciated by the family. Donations and condolences may be made on-line at www.daveylinklaterfuneralhome.com.
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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