Obituaries

Obituary: Ruth Silverman, 99

She was the last Silverman of Main Street department store fame.


Ruth Silverman, 99, died Nov. 22. Born in Rhode Island, a daughter of the late Herman and Jennie (Solomon) Silverman, she was a lifelong resident of the state and the last of the East Greenwich Silvermans of department store fame.

A graduate of the University of Rhode Island, Class of 1935, Ms. Silverman was the co-owner of the former Silverman's of East Greenwich, retiring in 1990. Silverman's, a department store on Main Street, was a vital part of East Greenwich for many many years.

The family had two stores on Main Street – Silverman's Shoes and Silverman's Ladies Apparel – that were eventually combined into one entity at 500 Main St. but run separately, according to local town historian Alan Clarke. Ruth worked in ladies apparel.

Ruth is survived by her nieces, Jennifer Stern of East Greenwich and Lois Silverman of Palo Alto, Calif.; her nephews, Joseph Silverman of Calif.; Fred Silverman of San Francisco; and Steven Silverman of New York City. She was the sister of the late Benjamin, Howard, Arthur, and Irving Silverman.

Funeral services were held Tuesday, Nov. 27, in the Samuel Priest Chapel in Lincoln Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Ruth Silverman Scholarship Fund at the East Greenwich Rotary. For information and condolences, SugarmanSinai.com.

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