Ruth Blenkinsop Evans

Ruth was born in Warwick, England, to Henry Maxwell Blenkinsop, a solicitor, and Yetta Dunlop-Hill, who studied economics at Girton College in Cambridge, before women were awarded degrees there. Ruth and her twin brother Dick were the sixth and seventh of eight siblings. They grew up in Woodland Grange, a large house on the banks of the River Avon. It was a busy happy household, overshadowed for Ruth by the prospect of boarding school, and the second World War which began when she was 9 years old. She and her sisters went to St. Leonard’s school in St. Andrews, Scotland, where her mother grew up. Deeply unhappy there, Ruth convinced her mother to withdraw her when she was sixteen, and studied on her own with the help of tutors to prepare for entrance exams for Oxford and Cambridge. She won top scholarships for both universities and chose to attend Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford in 1949, where she earned an honors BA in History in 1952, converted to a Masters in 1956.

She flourished in the intense academic atmosphere of Oxford. While there she met Canadian Don Evans; they married in 1952 and moved to Canada. For the rest of her life she longed for her English family and the landscapes of England. This move across the pond to the relative wilderness of British Columbia was both courageous and challenging. She and Don lived in Montreal then settled in Toronto and raised four sons; the marriage ended in 1977. As her children grew older, Ruth turned to volunteer and then paid work, first for the YWCA where she taught life skills to low-income women in the Jane and Finch area. The plight of many women with unwanted pregnancies and little or no access to birth control spurred her to action, with many others, in the campaign to remove abortion from the Criminal Code of Canada. She was a founder of the Association for Repeal of the Canadian Abortion Law (ARCAL). She chaired the United Church of Canada national committee on abortion and in 1971 presented a persuasive report and resolution to the United Church’s General Council, where it was adopted.

In 1977 she began studies for a Master’s degree at the Toronto School of Theology, completing her degree in 1980. Exposure to theological studies on moral issues raised in her the question of the role of women in Christianity, and she became one of the many women in North America who were exploring feminist approaches to theology. Ruth taught what was likely the first university class in feminist theology in Canada, at Emmanual College in 1980. For years she was active in the Canada-wide Movement for Christian Feminism, conducting workshops, giving speeches, and writing articles. She was brilliant, eloquent, passionate in sharing her knowledge and expressing her values and beliefs.

For 15 years until she retired in 1995, Ruth held a senior executive position with the United Church of Canada national office, as Coordinator of the Office of Christian Development, Division of Mission in Canada.

In May 2024 her many efforts were recognized with an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Emmanual College in the University of Victoria, University of Toronto. At the commencement her speech brought the audience to its feet with a prolonged ovation for her simple but powerful message “Do not turn away” when you see injustice and inequality in the world. Ruth never turned away; she was an activist through and through, supporting many just causes and organizations all her adult life.

In retirement she was a devoted grandmother and great grandmother, a lavish gardener, a tireless volunteer and a committed activist in several causes; a generous host to family and friends at home, at rented cottages and then at Ribb West, the cottage she and Dorothea bought in 2007.

Ruth is profoundly missed by her spouse of nearly 40 years, Dorothea; her sons Steve, Greg (Ronda), Luke (Guylaine) and Nick (Sue); seven grandsons and four great-grandsons. She leaves behind her beloved twin brother Dick Blenkinsop, and four generations of cousins, nephews and nieces in England, who knew and loved her as “Stumpy”, a childhood nickname that stayed with her all her life. Many friends mourn her deeply as well, including the women of WOW, who for more than thirty years gathered each summer for a week on Lake Muskoka; the community of Bloor Street United Church, where she was an active member for decades; the Togogo Grandmothers-to-Grandmothers group that raised funds for the Stephen Lewis Foundation; and her critical issues discussion group.

Deep gratitude to Dr. Renu Gupta, Toronto General Hospital and the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care team who cared for Ruth so compassionately at home in her last weeks.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, the Temmy Latner Centre, or a social justice charity of your choice. In memory of Ruth please follow her lead and “Do not turn away” when you see injustice and inequality in the world.

Ruth’s life will be celebrated in September with details to follow.