taphophile tragics - remembering the dead

The Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations are a way to remember the dead, whether at the cemetery or at a temporary altar built with photos and items to remember them by. Another way I've seen is with a memorial plaque, "this bench in memory of..." kind of thing.

While doing a test walk for the upcoming Oakland Urban Paths walk (November 10th, 10am), I came across something I hadn't seen before. It basically looks like a grave marker, but it's in one of the many public stairways and pathways around Oakland.

"The Great Fire of 1991" refers to the 1991 Oakland/Berkeley hills firestorm that destroyed the entire neighborhood (as well as several others), so the imagery of a phoenix rising from the ashes is fitting.

I haven't had time to find out anything about Ruth besides what's on this marker. Do any of my Oakland readers know?

For more taphophile posts from around the world, check out the Taphophile Tragics site.