Ruth Nathan Meyer; Co-Founder of Geary’s of Beverly Hills Gift Store

Ruth Nathan Meyer, an expert on china and crystal who with her late husband took a small gift shop and fashioned it into Geary’s of Beverly Hills, died Friday after what her family said was a brief illness. She was 81.

With her husband of 50 years, Fred Meyer--who died in 1985--she had lived in Hancock Park since the 1930s.

The Meyers purchased a small, nine-employee shop in 1950 and built it into a gift and home accessory outlet with annual sales in the millions.

It boasts one of the largest collections of silver, crystal and dinnerware in the country and much of its business is through nationwide catalogue sales.

Mrs. Meyer was best known as a spokeswoman and guest lecturer for Geary’s, talking to hundreds of groups throughout the state on the history of porcelain and crystal and recent trends in table settings.

She and Meyers married in 1935 after her graduation from Mills College, where she recently established a new tennis facility. She was considered a top player as a young woman.

In 1987, she received a Distinguished Service Award from Mills, where she had been president of the Alumni Organization and member of the board of trustees. She also was active in the Luminaires, Decorative Arts Council and the Hancock Park Historical Society.

Survivors include her son, Bruce, president of Geary’s; a daughter, Susan Blumenthal, five grandchildren and a sister and brother.