Ruth Zettlemoyer could be more than 100 miles away from the Lehigh Valley, strolling the Ocean City Boardwalk with her husband, Don, and still hear her nickname, “Mrs. Z,” called out excitedly.

“She’s known by everyone. She made everyone laugh. She made everyone feel good — and she loved them all,” said her son Dan Zettlemoyer, recounting the story from his father. “She was so much larger than sewing on a button. Her impact, her involvement was just more than being good with needle and thread.”