We are sad to announce that on August 10, 2019, at the age of 95, Ruthmary Spence (Fayetteville, North Carolina) passed away. Bill Kirby of the Fayetteville Observer wrote.... Oh, Ruthmary Spence would have us know, what a wonderful life. How glorious, she would have us know, each and every day. Friends called her Gilly. "The world is a little emptier place," Chris Law would say on the day Ruthmary "Gilly" Spence peacefully passed away. She embraced life. If she called you friend, she embraced your life, too. Gilly was that way. No mourning, she wanted us to know, nor tears of sorrow. She would pen her own obituary. "She lived," Ruthmary "Gilly" Spence would write, "she loved, and she died!" But there was so much more to Ruthmary "Gilly" Spence. "I think all that knew Gilly would agree that those three simple statements summed up the essence of Gilly," Law would tell those who came to Sullivan's Highland Funeral Service chapel on Aug. 24 to celebrate the life of this grand lady. "Short, accurate and to the point. Everyone I have talked to that read her obituary laughed and remarked, 'Classic Gilly.' And though it is classic Gilly, it does not do her justice." Ruthmary "Gilly" Spence was an every-woman. She was born the youngest of three children to Henry B. Gilfillan and Stella M. Wilson Gilfillan in Barnet, Vermont. "As anyone who spent time with Gilly knows," Law would say, "she was a proud New Englander through and through."She attended St. Johnsbury Academy, where it appears she developed her talent for writing prose. In fact, she penned the class poem for the graduating class of '41." After high school, she headed fro Boston, studied cosmetology and became a die-hard Celtics basketball fan and later a friend to Red Auerbach, the team's legendary coach. "She loved her Celtics," Law would say. "Gilly had a close, life long friendship with Red Auerbach. She was more than a friend, she was a confidant. In fact, Boston fans can thank Gilly for Red keeping Bill Russell. During that racially charged time, life was not easy for a black man in Boston ,,, even Bill Russell. Red was about to succumb to the pressure of trading Russell. It was Gilly who helped him see what keeping Russell could do, not just for the Celtics, but for Boston itself. She had a gift for seeing deep into people and situations. A gift we will all miss." She later moved to Chicago and New York City. "This is where her adventure truly began," Law would say. "In New York, Gilly found employment with the famous auction house appraiser, Sigmund Rothschild. There she met many famous people. I think it had a major impact on her sense of style and panache. Anyone who knew Gilly knew she was all about style and class. Gilly shared stories of her chance meetings with many of famous people in a variety of settings. As she would share these stories, it reminded me of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.' Heck, Gilly was Audrey Hepburn. Not bad for a small town girl from Vermont. Yet, even with all that excitement, her biggest adventure in life began when she met her soon-to-be husband Bob." Bob Spence was a soldier, and Ruthmary Gilfillan was a young woman falling in love. "Shortly after meeting Bob, she found herself in Augsburg, Germany," Law would say "It is where she not only married Bob, but began a lifelong friendship with my parents. I've known her my entire life, and I am still awed by her spirit and sense of adventure. Eventually, in 1973 Gilly and Bob settled here in Fayetteville, and we were all blessed to have her in our lives." Bob and Gilly Spence would become fast friends with Chris Law's parents, Larry and Oonagh Law, and dinners at Chris's Steak & Seafood restaurant were just a part of their routines, along with sharing life with other military friends. "She loved to dine," Chris Law would say. " You didn't just go out to eat with Gilly. You went out to dine. The meal was the least important part of dining. It was almost anti-climatic. When Gilly and Bob went out to dine, it was an event. It was a time to visit. To share. To enjoy conversation and debate. To bathe in each others presence. To cherish the time together enjoying pre-dinner cocktails, the meal, coffee afterwards, and then retire to the bar to visit and cherish more friends. After my parents passed and I became Gilly's confidant, I cherished the hours we would spend at Chris's Steakhouse. Talking and laughing. Visiting with owner Greg Kalevas, and looking to see who might be coming through that door. Many nights, even up to a few years ago, we closed down the restaurant enjoying the company of those around us. Nights, quite frankly, that neither of us wanted to end. As Gilly commanded each of us to do, 'Take a loved one out to dine.' You will feel her smile upon your when you do." She was classy. She was stylish. She was a patriot. "She loved the 82nd Airborne," Law would say. "She always wanted to know what was happening on post. Who was who. She would stay on top of every detail as if she was the commanding general herself." Ruthmary "Gilly" Spence, he would tell us, loved her country and the U.S. flag. "Gilly always had a U.S. flag flying at her house," Law would say. "If she were in public and saw a tattered flag, she would buy one and give it to the person with the instructions, 'Now go take down that ratty flag and put up a proper flag. There is no reason to ever allow a flag to get like that.'" Ruthmary "Gilly" Spence died Aug. 10. She was 95. "As Gilly prepared for her final adventure, she did so with class and dignity.," Law would say. "Though the last year was not an easy one for her, she never let it beat her down. She died, as she lived, on her own terms. Now, she is reunited with her beloved Bob, and many, many, many dear friends. I can picture them all dining together. Telling stories. Laughing and looking down upon us, a warm smile on her face and a kiss blown to each of us." To nieces and nephews, she was "Aunt Ruthie," who dazzled them with her long cigarette holders, gloves and bangles, and let the nieces and cousins play with her jewelry. To those of us in this community, she was Gilly. "Gilly had a warm and embracing heart," Chris Law would say. " She loved life. She loved family. She loved friends. She loved you if she met you in the grocery store. Anyone who ever ventured out experienced Gilly's quest to learn everything she could about everyone she met. She had a way of making total strangers feel welcome and loved. It's a love that is never going to be replaced. Gilly was that special. Until we meet again, 'Dear Heart.'" No tears. No sorrow. No flowers, please. 'Take a loved one out to dine," Ruthmary "Gilly" Spence would remind us. "And Mizpah to all."