Ruth Schulte Needham

Ruth Schulte Needham died on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at the age of 82. She was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on February 8, 1943. Survivors include her husband of more than 61 years of marriage, Charles Needham, and nephew Guy Herbert.

Ruth lived in New Mexico most of her life, growing up in Los Alamos and receiving her BA from UNM. She began her social work career (1964) at the Department of Public Welfare (now CYFD) where she worked in various aspects of child welfare. After receiving her MSW from Denver University in 1973, she held a number of positions in mental health and medical social work. She taught for over 20 years in the social work programs at College of Santa Fe, University of Albuquerque and New Mexico Highlands University, where she was a tenured professor. She was an assistant professor and consulting social worker, providing training and supervision in various venues as well as teaching part-time for New Mexico State University's Social Work program in Albuquerque. She has been a member of the board of the New Mexico National Association of Social Workers (NM-NASW) secretary, first Vice President and then President in 1987-89. From 1990 to 2003 she was the Chair of the state Committee on Inquiry.

She helped write the licensing bill for social workers in the state of New Mexico and worked with the legislature to assure its passage. She helped write the exam for certification of social workers in New Mexico. After its passage she received license number 3 as a licensed independent social worker.

During the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s, she was the foremost AIDS social worker in the state. She helped write a manual for doctors and nurses on the human side of treatment of AIDS patients and toured the western states lecturing on the subject.

She was named the NASW social worker of the year in 1985 and received the NASW lifetime achievement award in 1998. In 2002 she received the governor's award for outstanding New Mexico woman of the year.

She served in a number of volunteer positions, including:

The Bernalillo County Human Services Coalition (1980 - 1994)

Family and Children's Services Board of Directors (1988 - 1996)

City of Albuquerque Mayor's Committee on the Homeless (1990 - 1991)

Board of Directors for Healthcare for the Homeless (1993 - 2011) including President of the Board (2007 - 2009)

American Red Cross, mental health volunteer (2001 -2009)

She traveled the world with her husband and visited more than 40 different countries. She touched the lives and made friends of many people around the world: from Japan to Australia and from Norway and Sweden to South Africa.