Ruth Barnett
September 25, 1940 - August 22, 2026

Ruth Barnett, of Palo Alto, California, died peacefully on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at the age of 85.

She was born on September 25, 1940, in Pittsburgh, the daughter of Harry and Anna (Tenenbaum) Topol, who had come from Poland. She was a graduate of Peabody High School and the University of Pittsburgh. She loved growing up on Mellon Street, and the friendships she formed in those days lasted the rest of her life; her Pittsburgh friends were an extended family.

She moved to California in the early 1960s, first to Berkeley, then to Livermore, where she spent fifty years, and finally to Palo Alto. She raised her two sons in Livermore, thriving in the small but active Jewish community at Congregation Beth Emek. Whether at services, at Friday night Jewish folk dancing, or in any of her many clubs, it was a pillar of her social life and her friendships.

Next to family and friends, her other passion was teaching. She earned her teaching credential and a master's degree from California State University, Hayward, and spent decades as a special education specialist in the Tracy Unified School District. She continued her own education throughout her career, always looking for new methods to bring out the potential in all of her students, especially in reading. Even after retiring in 2004, she continued to volunteer as a reading specialist. Her dedication to advancing children with significant learning challenges was matched only by the friendship and respect she earned from her colleagues.

Travel and concerts were her hobbies. Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen concerts were among her favorites. She traveled around Europe and Asia with family and friends, and even snuck in a Springsteen concert in Ireland.

What she treasured most was time with her grandchildren and her nephews - hours of playing, often down on the floor, and, ever so subtly, also teaching.

She is survived by her sons, David Barnett and his wife, Andi, of Los Altos, California, and Steven Barnett and his wife, Maria, of McLean, Virginia; by her four grandchildren, Jake (and his wife, Samantha), Owen, Jonah, and Hannah; by her brother, Mitchell Topol and his wife, Barbara, of Mountain View, California, and their sons, Michael and Aaron (and his wife, Teresa); and by her grandnephew, Christopher Beau Topol. She was preceded in death by her parents and by her sister, Frances Topol.

Services at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., 5509 Centre Avenue, Shadyside, on Thursday, August 27, 2026 at 11 AM. No prior visitation. Interment Adath Jeshurun Cemetery. A memorial service will be held at Congregation Etz Chayim in Palo Alto in December; details will follow.

Contributions in her memory may be made to the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, in support of Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (my.supportlpch.org). www.schugar.com

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