Meredyth Rubidge Armitage of Red Bank, known by her many friends as Dythie and her grandchildren as Gammy, passed away peacefully Jan. 27, 2023. Born Feb. 27, 1932, Dythie spent most of her life in New Jersey, growing up in Chatham and living for the last 65 years in Rumson, Little Silver and finally at The Atrium in Red Bank.
Dythie graduated from Smith College in 1954 with a B.A. in English. She married Arthur L. Armitage and, after a brief time in New York City, they moved to Rumson, the ideal place to raise their three children, David L. Armitage (Denver, Colorado); Meredyth S. Armitage (Park City, Utah); and Toby A. Armitage (Petosky, Michigan and Highlands).
Dythie’s marriage ended in 1982 but she happily remained in the family home and became deeply involved in service to the community. She served on the Rumson Board of Education, the Rumson Borough Council, the board of Planned Parenthood and, for more than two decades, held numerous board positions at Meridian Healthcare and Hackensack Meridian Health. Dythie brought passion, intellect, curiosity and a commitment to continuous improvement to each of these roles.
Simultaneously, Dythie tapped into her artistic talents and built a successful interior decorating business. To this day, it is a joy to go into the homes of her friends who always point out the various rooms she decorated.
While Dythie took her volunteer and professional work very seriously, she brought her rich sense of humor, boundless creativity and love of entertaining to her many relationships across all generations. An invitation to Dythie’s home for dinner was always a treat; she was an exquisite cook and guests knew to come prepared for an evening of games and rich conversation. She was never happier than when her kids and grandchildren would come to Rumson in the summer for long days at the beach, boating on the rivers, trips to Sickles (corn and cider donuts!) and games in the backyard.
Her “happy place” was at Seabright Beach Club where we will gather to celebrate her life later this spring. While we will hope for a sparkling day, it will also be okay if it’s stormy. Dythie loved the drama of weather and her kids and grandchildren always knew if the surf was up, Gammy would be taking them to the beach to see the waves or to the Shrewsbury to watch the river flood its banks.
Dythie lived a long and wonderful life and she truly knew how lucky she was to have many treasured friends and family who adored her.
She is survived by her children, David (Kerry Stutzman), Meredyth (Scott Rossborough) and Toby (Meriel Meehan); her grandchildren, Peter and David Freeman, Kyle, Morgan and Trevor Armitage and Paul, Molly and Jeff Armitage; and her step-grandchildren, Chris Rossborough and Keaton, Palmer and Landon Skudneski.
The family is deeply grateful to the team at The Atrium who provide wonderful care in a rich and safe environment for all their residents. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Riverview Medical Center Foundation in memory of Meredyth. Please reference her name with your gift. Riverview Medical Center Foundation, 1 Riverview Plaza, Red Bank, NJ 07701 or give.hackensackmeridanhealth.org/riverview.
The article originally appeared in the February 9 – 15, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
