Ruth Offen

September 11, 1952 – May 26, 2026

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Ruth Offen. She passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack on May 26, 2026, while living in Spain at the age of 73. She is survived by her husband Maximo, and son Zack.

Ruth was born in 1952 to Nathan and Helen Offen, both Holocaust survivors. She grew up in North Bergen, New Jersey and was the oldest of 3 sisters. After attending college in Ohio, she lived in Portland Oregon, Boston, and then San Francisco before moving to the San Juan Islands in 1985. She had many adventures along the journey that led her to the islands where she ultimately put down long term roots. Here she started Waterworks Gallery, a contemporary modern art gallery that thrived for 30 years. While on the Island she gave birth to and raised her son Zack, while running an art gallery full time. She became a fixture in the local Friday Harbor art community for over 3 decades representing many local and regional artists.

After retiring in 2019 she found her next passion in life, dancing Tango. She shortly then moved to Buenos Ares, Argentina to pursue a more relaxed lifestyle. There she met the Love of Her Life, Maximo. They lived and traveled everywhere together after 2020. In 2024 they were happily married. For the rest of her life, they would travel together through Europe and South America deeply in love, enjoying life to the fullest. She said it was the first time she ever felt truly in love. In the last 5 years of her life, she experienced more joy and happiness than in all the previous years combined.

She will be deeply missed by all that knew her.

https://sanjuanislander.com/ruth-offen-september-11-1952-may-26-2026/