Mary Ruth Zaks

Mary Ruth Zaks, 70, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, entered the gates of heaven on Saturday, March 16, 2024.  Born on April 14, 1953, in Baltimore, Mary was the youngest daughter of Franklin and Eleanor Rappold.
 As a young child Mary grew up in Baltimore and her family moved to Ellicott City, and then to New Market as a teenager.  She attended TJ High school in Frederick from which she graduated in 1971.   Mary attended Wesley College in Delaware where she took administration studies.  Following her graduation in 1973 Mary was employed by Fairchild Labs in Germantown, MD, and later by COMSAT Laboratories in Clarksburg MD, where she enjoyed working within the scientific community for over 20 years.  In the mid 2000’s Mary continued working at the IOT Company in Williamsport, MD, and then she became a key force in the running of Vanguard Engineering and Gresham LLC, an electronic and a real-state business operations of her husband for over two decades.  Mary moved to Martinsburg, WV, from the city of Frederick in 2015, but she continued working with her husband until recently.  In her various lines of work Mary enjoyed in particular the scientific field, and she always expressed her deep fascination and attraction to technology, and especially in the area of satellite communications.
Mary is survived by her husband, Chaim Zaks and by her son, Robert Daniel Hoff of Cumberland, MD.  She is also survived by her siblings, Carol Dean of SC, John Rappold of FL, and Tom Rappold of MD.  In addition, Mary is survived by her five nephews and nieces and their respective families who live across the country.  Also, Mary was an exemplary loving and proud grandmother to eight grandchildren of her husband Chaim. 
 Since her childhood Mary was raised in a musical environment, and she studied piano as a kid and as an adult years later.  Music played a central role in Mary’s life, and she enjoyed playing regularly classical music and hymns at home and in church, where she played in various bell choirs over the years. Likewise, Mary loved and excelled in sewing, and she produced extraordinary works for her loved ones over the years.  But her love for cats was especially important to her, and Mary raised and pampered numerous cats over the years.  She also was an avid fan of crosswords and other challenging games, and she consistently exhibited impressive ability. And as a teenager Mary excelled in diving and swimming, and she maintained her skills until very recently.
 Mary was an exemplary daughter to her beloved Mom and Dad, and her loyalty to and care for her son Robert Hoff had been immeasurable.  Likewise, Mary was an exceptionally loving wife to her husband, and she provided him with unconditional partnership in life.  With her warm and friendly personality Mary always attracted friendships and admiration from numerous colleagues and friends throughout her personal and professional life.  She was always deeply grateful to her friends for their unconditional understanding, love, and support for her over the years, but especially during her recent illness.
 The family will receive friends from 10-11 am on Thursday, March 21, 2024 at Stauffer Funeral Homes, P.A. (Fred), 1621 Opossumtown Pike in Frederick, MD, where a  celebration of Mary's life journey will take place at 11am, with a luncheon to immediately follow.  Interment will be at 1:30 pm at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in  Frederick, MD.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Mary Ruth Zaks name to: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, https://www.stjude.org/donate, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105