Lifetime activist, feminist, advocate for women, family matriarch

Joyce Anderson Ride — a social activist known for her sharp wit and for being the mother of astronaut Sally Ride — died peacefully January 24 surrounded by family and friends at Pilgrim Place in Claremont. She was 102 years old.

Joyce lived her life aligned with the words of poet Adrienne Rich:

My heart is moved by all I cannot save:
so much has been destroyed
I have to cast my lot with those
who age after age, perversely,
with no extraordinary power,
reconstitute the world.

Born in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, she was raised in a family steeped in Norwegian heritage. Like the Vikings before her, she possessed formidable inner strength and determination. She played baritone saxophone in the Detroit Lakes marching band — often in the snow — and developed a lifelong love of reading and learning under the encouragement of the town librarian, who kept her well supplied with books.

She attended Carleton College until her family moved west to Brentwood, California. She transferred to UCLA, where she earned a degree in psychology and became a devoted — and vocal — fan of UCLA football and basketball. At UCLA she met Dale Ride, a recently returned war veteran and Santa Monica native, on a blind date. They married in 1949 and welcomed their first daughter, Sally Kristen Ride, in 1951, followed two years later by their second daughter, Karen (Bear) Ride.

In what she and Dale affectionately called “benign neglect” (in that they failed to tell their children what they couldn’t accomplish) they raised their daughters to study hard, not to take themselves too seriously, and follow their own paths. Sally became the first American woman in space; Bear was ordained a Presbyterian minister. She liked to quip, “At least one of my children is certain to find heaven.”

Her social conscience emerged early. While at UCLA, she refused to sign the required loyalty oath, explaining simply that “it was stupid and wrong.” She later became active in the San Fernando Valley Fair Housing Council, advocating for equity in the Los Angeles area where the Ride family lived. A ruling elder at First Presbyterian Church of Encino, she persistently challenged pastors and congregations alike with her open-minded, inclusive feminism. During the Civil Rights era, she taught her fourth-grade Sunday school class to sing “We Shall Overcome.”

Her advocacy expanded through her involvement with the National Women’s Political Caucus, where she worked closely with local women politicians — particularly around conditions for women in prison. She was a founding board member of Friends Outside and faithfully visited incarcerated women throughout her life, continuing this work well into her 90s.

When her daughter Dr. Sally Ride was launched into space in 1983, she was hounded by reporters eager for a maternal reaction. She responded with characteristic defiance and clarity: “God bless Gloria Steinem!”

Predeceased by her beloved husband, Dr. Dale Ride; her sister, Phyllis Anderson; and her eldest daughter, Dr. Sally K. Ride, she leaves behind her indomitable spirit and her daughter, the Rev. Dr. K. Bear Ride, and daughter-in-law, the Rev. Susan Craig; daughter-in-law, Dr. Tam O’Shaughnessy; grandchildren Whitney Royal Scott and his wife, Amber Byfield, and Caitlin Scott Ride and her wife, Whitney Ride; and great-grandchildren Rowan and Piper.

A celebration of the life of Joyce Anderson Ride will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, February 7 in Decker Hall at Pilgrim Place, 665 Avery Rd., Claremont, CA 91711.

Contributions in her memory may be made to the Pilgrim Place Resident Health and Support Program at pilgrimplace.org/giving, click on “Give Now,” or by check to 625 Mayflower Rd., Claremont, CA 91711.