Within exactly 36 hours of each other, Burton Hastings and Ruth Lillian Hastings, married for seventy years, each died peacefully due to complications from recent strokes.  Burton passed on September 21, gently and peacefully in the care of a blessed personal care assistant Alexander Rodriguez while Mr. Rodriguez was reading the day’s newspaper to him. Ruth passed the following day. Born in 1924 to Benjamin and Celia Hastings, Burt was educated in New York City public schools [Brooklyn] along with his older brother Julius, who, at the age of 96, resides in California.  He served in the armed forces receiving several medals and commendations.  As both a medic and an interrogator, he was often complimented by German prisoners on his language skills, some even accusing him of being a double-agent. This was ironic as he was the son of Austro-Hungarian Jewish immigrants.  Returning from the service, he received his college diploma from City College of New York but was unable to pursue his interests of being a college faculty member and instead went to work with his father at Ben Hastings and Company, a manufacturer of jackets and pants. He married his pre-war sweetheart, Ruth Lillian Beckenstein and they made a home together, raising a daughter, Judy Hastings of Southhold New York, and a son, David Hastings, of Andover, Massachusetts.

Ruth, born in 1928 to Irving and Ethel Beckenstein, immigrated to the United States from Poland with her mother and brother, Louis.  She was three years old.  The family reunited in Brooklyn with Irving who had been sponsored to immigrate earlier to New York by his oldest brother Samuel who owned a yard goods business.  Ruth graduated from Erasmus Hall High School and completed some course work at Brooklyn College.  Along the way, she became an accomplished pianist, playing pieces by her favorite composer, Chopin.  The upright piano her parents had purchased second-hand that resides in her son’s home to this day.  She was a brilliant cook who often strayed from her early kosher upbringing to experiment with lobster and pork sausages, to the delight of her children.

In 1966, Burt and Ruth relocated their family home from Brooklyn to Dartmouth, Massachusetts. They became an integral part of their Elmview Avenue neighborhood, watching out for area children waiting for the bus, welcoming them home, chatting with their parents.  Burt regaled young and old with his stories of the war, including speaking at the local junior high school.

Always an iconoclast, Burt set out his own course and spoke truth to power.  He left behind a sheath of letters, using carbon paper and a yellow legal pad, to politicians and business leaders – letting them know quite specifically how, in his humble opinion, they were either pursuing the wrong strategy or acting against what he perceived as the public interest.  Similarly, Ruth blazed her own political path, becoming a strong supporter of Ross Perot and later affiliating with the Libertarian party.  Politics and news of the day were topics at the family dinner table on a nightly basis.

After Ruth experienced multiple health complications Burt, unable to safely care for her reluctantly placed her in the care of the New Bedford Jewish Convalescent Home where she remained for many years. He visited her daily without fail or interruption.

Burt, too, became unable to live alone in 2016 and moved to Methuen Village where he succumbed.  Ruth was transported to the same facility the next day where she also came under the care of the same team of loving professionals, passing the next day, September 22.

They are survived by Burt’s brother Julius, of Davis, California; their daughter, Judy Hastings and her husband Michael Ricciardi of Southold, New York; son David Hastings and his wife Linda J. Vasconcellos of Andover, Massachusetts; granddaughters Zoe Vasconcellos Hastings, her husband Christopher Desjardins and their son-to-be of Lawrence, Massachusetts; Alia Vasconcellos Hayes, her husband Matthew Hayes and their daughter Julianna Bridget of Hampstead, New Hampshire; and Hannah Vasconcellos Hastings of Washington, DC.

Burton willed his body to Harvard Medical School’s Anatomical Gift Program – being once again of service to his country, though this time for the education of future medical doctors.  The family will hold a graveside service to celebrate the lives of Burt and Ruth on Sunday, October 2 at 10:00 am at the Children of Abraham Cemetery on 20 Grant Road in Andover, Massachusetts.  Burt will be reunited with his wife of seventy years at their final resting place at a later date.

Those gathering will be invited to share memories and thoughts with the family at a brunch to follow immediately afterwards.

The family requests that memorial contributions be made to Compassionate Care, 800 W Cummings Park #3100, Woburn, MA 01801, Phone:(781) 935-5550