Ruth Hyde Paine, the Santa Rosa woman whose Texas garage unknowingly stored Lee Harvey Oswald’s rifle before President Kennedy’s assassination, died September 1, 2025, at age 92. She passed away from natural causes following a five-day coma at Friends House retirement community, where she had lived since 2006.
Born in New York City in 1932, Paine was a Quaker, civil rights advocate, and educator. She married Michael Ralph Paine in 1957 and had two children before their divorce. In early 1960s Texas, she befriended Marina Oswald, the Russian-born wife of Lee Harvey Oswald, and invited her and her children into her home. Though Oswald himself never lived there, he kept the assassination rifle hidden in Paine’s garage, retrieving it the night before the November 22, 1963 shooting.
Paine spent her career teaching using Montessori methods and later worked as a child psychologist in Florida. She remained dedicated to discussing her role in history, appearing in numerous interviews, documentaries, and books. Her son Chris Panym described her as “quite bold,” noting her commitment to ethical living and pacifism. Paine is survived by Panym and daughter Tamarin Laurel-Paine.