Ruth C. Bullard, 96, antiques dealer

Ruth C. Bullard, 96, an antiques dealer, community leader, and Republican committeewoman, died Tuesday, April 1, of causes related to aging at Harlee Manor in Springfield, Delaware County.

Mrs. Bullard was instrumental in starting the Morton School Library and worked there as a volunteer from 1957 until Morton merged with the Springfield School District in 1966.

The same year, she was appointed secretary of the Springfield school board in the merged district. A longtime worker, she retired from the post in 1995.

In recognition of her contributions, Mrs. Bullard is to be inducted in May into the Achievers Hall of Fame, which is maintained by the Springfield Area Education Foundation. She also will receive the foundation's Life Accomplishment Award.

"She was very happy about that, she was excited," said her son Charles W. She had hoped to be present for the ceremony, but ill health intervened.

The former Ruth Churchman was born in Oxford, Chester County. In 1935, she was a member of the first class to graduate from Springfield High School, Delaware County. She then attended West Chester Normal School, now West Chester University.

She left school in 1937 to marry Charles Bullard. Two years later, the couple settled in Morton and raised six children.

Mrs. Bullard was knowledgeable about antiques, especially early American furniture and glass. She and her husband ran Bullard's Antiques in Morton for 50 years.

She also enjoyed growing azaleas, irises, and holly trees. "She loved iris, and had a lot of them in the yard," her son said.

Along with her husband, Mrs. Bullard worked hard on behalf of the Republican Party. She was appointed to the Morton Borough Zoning Hearing Board in 1964, and was board president before retiring in 2006.

She was a Republican committeewoman for the Borough of Morton from 1984 until her resignation in 2012.

In person, Mrs. Bullard was lively and always busy. "She liked to get involved in things. She was not a wallflower," her son said.

In addition to her son, she is survived by another son, Albert C.; daughters Ruth W. Boyle, Margaret D. Martz, and Mary Ellen; 11 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Her husband died in 1986, and a son, Edward Jonathan, died in 1982.

A 10:30 a.m. visitation Saturday, April 5, will be followed by a memorial service at 11:30 at the Kovacs Funeral Home Inc., 530 W. Woodland Ave., Springfield. Interment will be private.

Donations may be made to the Springfield Historical Society, Box 211, Springfield, Pa. 19064.