Ruth Berkowitz died on May 27 at The Riverside in New York city, where she had resided for the past three years. She was 98.

Ms. Berkowitz was born Nov. 18, 1921 to Russian immigrants Dora Sulzer Berkowitz and Barnet Berkowitz on their Holstein dairy farm in Flemington, N.J. Dora and Barnet had four daughters, Zelda, Esther, Shirley and Ruth. The youngest, Shirley and Ruth were twins. Their father, Barnet Berkowitz, was a horse and cattle dealer, and founding member of the Flemington Jewish Community Center and Flemington Jewish Cemetery.

Ruth was married as a young woman to a soldier (details not available) who died in the Korean War. She never remarried, and moved to New York city in the early 1960s. Ruth worked as a secretary most of her adult life for Sylvania. She enjoyed all that city life had to offer: lectures, concerts, movies, walks in the neighborhood and dancing at Roseland on the weekends.

She spent many weekends in Flemington visiting her mother, sisters and their families. She loved children and was always happy to babysit Jonathan and Barbara, so her sister Shirley and husband Ira, could enjoy a night out.

Ruth will be lovingly remembered for her quick wit, easy smile, cheerful disposition and love for her family. Ruth was very independent and lived her life as she wanted to, uncompromising, and self-sufficient, well into her 90s. She took great pride in telling everyone “I can take care of myself” and she did, for the most part, until moving out of her Upper West Side studio apartment to The Riverside nursing home in the final years of her life.

Ruth was very close to her sisters throughout her life. She was closest to Shirley, her twin, the optimist of the family, known for her warmth, loyalty and selfless caregiving.

Her older sister, Zelda Kaplan, was a humanitarian, notable New Yorker, and a fixture in New York’s fashion scene for many years.

Ruth Berkowitz is survived by many nephews and nieces, including Barbara Dworkin Binder of West Tisbury, and grandnephew Benny Binder of West Tisbury. She is predeceased by her sisters, Shirley Dworkin, Zelda Kaplan and Esther Kaplan.

Private Zoom funeral services were held on Sunday, May 31 in Flemington, N.J.