RUTH MERWIN ARTHUR, 98 LAKELAND Ruth Merwin Arthur, age 98, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 28, 2015. She was born June 10, 1917, in Holyoke, Mass., to Mary Josephine and John Clifford Merwin. The family moved to Milwaukee shortly after. Ruth was a member of the Milwaukee Junior League and was active in their children's theater. She was also active in community theater. During World War II she directed a day camp for children whose parents were working in the defense plants. The camp was sponsored by the Milwaukee Urban League. She also taught swimming to children with polio. In the summer of 1945 she went to work as a civilian employee attached to the Army in Amarillo, Texas. She was a secretary to the classification officers. She met and married Capt. Thomas Arthur of New Jersey and after the war they moved to New Jersey. She was a member of the Englewood Junior League and was active in community theater. In 1977, Thomas retired from the Western Electric Co. and they moved to Lakeland, where they enjoyed the theater, arts and sports. Ruth played tennis and golf into her 90s. She was a member of the Polk Museum of Art and rarely missed an exhibit. She is survived by her husband of 70 years, five children, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She requested no services and wished that her friends will remember their last time together.