Ruth Stafford Peale (September 10, 1906 – February 6, 2008) was an American writer, editor, and speaker. She was born in Fonda, Iowa, to Canadian parents Methodist clergyman Frank B. Stafford and Loretta A. Stafford. In 1913, the family moved to Detroit, where she attended high school and ultimately attended Wayne State University. Peale graduated from Syracuse University in 1928, where she studied math and philosophy. After this, she taught high school mathematics. Peale died on February 6, 2008, in Pawling, New York, at age 101. At her death, Peale was chairman emeritus of Guideposts.