J.M. Ada Mutch, 106, longtime nurse and volunteer

J.M. Ada Mutch, formerly of Wynnewood, a nurse, World War II veteran, and volunteer for the elderly, died at Rosemont Presbyterian Village on Friday, Jan. 27, a week before her 107th birthday.

In 1932, having taught physical education for eight years at the Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, Miss Mutch had to have her appendix removed.

"I went to the hospital for a week, and had the most wonderful time," she later told The Inquirer. "I decided to become a nurse. I figured I could take care of people as I got older, but I wouldn't be able to run up and down a hockey field forever."

Miss Mutch did, indeed, go on to take care of people - for more than 70 years.

She graduated from the Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing in New York and earned a bachelor's degree in nursing administration in 1941 from Columbia University.

During World War II, she served in the Army Nurse Corps, overseeing military hospitals in England and Ireland.

After her discharge in 1946 as a lieutenant colonel, she traveled in Asia before returning to Columbia-Presbyterian as head nurse. In 1948, she earned a master's degree in nursing from Columbia.

In 1955, Miss Mutch left Columbia-Presbyterian, where she then was assistant director of nursing and assistant professor of nursing, to become director of nursing at Lankenau Hospital.

After retiring in 1970, she was a volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society. From the early 1980s until 2010, she also was a volunteer for ElderNet, a nonprofit organization serving residents of Lower Merion.

"Ada was an amazing woman," said ElderNet executive director Ruth M. Sperber. "She volunteered for ElderNet for many years as a driver, friendly visitor, officer, and personnel committee chairman."

Miss Mutch also was the inspiration for ElderNet's service delivery program, the Ada Mutch Resource Service Center, which opened in 2009.

Dorothy McCabe, retired director of ElderNet, said Miss Mutch often chauffeured people no one else would drive because they were too difficult. "She never judged anyone," McCabe said. "She was delightful, had a great sense of humor, and enjoyed life."

In 2002, Miss Mutch told The Inquirer that she usually did not reveal her age to her passengers because it might make them nervous. But, she added, "if they start complaining a lot, and say, they're 72, I'll say: 'I'm 90-something. What are you complaining about?' They say, 'Oh, you've given me a new lease on life!' "

After she gave up her driving privileges at age 98, she continued to volunteer for ElderNet, but behind a desk.

In the interview, Miss Mutch said her longevity came from always staying physically active. But she also benefited from her life's circumstances, she said: "I was born in Scotland and I'm full of Scotch, and I never married, so I don't have the worries of children."

Miss Mutch emigrated to the United States in 1912 with her four siblings and her parents. Her father, the Rev. Andrew Mutch, had been appointed pastor of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. They sailed on the Caledonia when they were unable to get passage on the Titanic.

Miss Mutch was a scholarship student at the Baldwin School and received the Gym Award as best athlete when she graduated in 1922. She returned to Baldwin to teach after graduating from the Boston School of Physical Education.

In 2010, Baldwin presented her with an honorary white blazer, given annually to the school's best athlete. She had lamented that she had not received one when she was a student.

Miss Mutch traveled all over the world and, since childhood, spent summer vacations in Maine, a nephew, Andy Mutch, said.

She is survived by several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 625 Montgomery Ave., Bryn Mawr.

Donations may be made to the church's capital campaign for restoration of stained-glass windows in honor of the Rev. Andrew Mutch, or to the Ada Mutch Scholarship Fund, Columbia University-Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing, 204 Park Ave. South, New York, N.Y. 10010.