MCGOWAN, Ruth Muriel

MCGOWAN, BECKER, HEIN, HOYT

Posted By: Pat Ludeke (email)
Date: 6/23/2013 at 01:11:40

Ruth Muriel McGowan, 87, of the IOOF Home in Mason City, Iowa died Tuesday, Oct.
12, 2004, at the Muse-Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City.
Funeral services were held Monday, Oct. 18, at the Ward-Van Slyke Colonial
Chapel, Clear Lake, with the Rev. David Frederickson of Immanuel Lutheran
Church in Plainview, Minn., and Lay Assistant Rev. Richard Scott of Zion
Lutheran Church in Clear Lake, officiating. Burial was in the Clear Lake
Cemetery.

The family of Ruth Muriel McGowan has requested that memorial contributions be
made to the Ruth Muriel McGowan Memorial Fund, 1995 Apple Ave, Garner, Iowa
50438, in her memory.

Ruth Muriel (Hein) McGowan was born on March 12, 1917, in Elgin, Minn., the
daughter of Theodore Alfred and Anna (Becker) Hein. She was baptized in the
Lutheran faith in Elgin, and reaffirmed her faith through confirmation in the
Lutheran Church in Emmetsburg, Iowa. Ruth graduated from Emmetsburg High
School in 1934. Ruth also attended the American Institute of Business in Des
Moines and Hamilton Business College in Mason City. After completing her
schooling she worked for the Oliver Farm Equipment Company in Charles City.

Ruth moved to Clear Lake, where she met and married Keith McGowan. After their
marriage they owned and operated McGowan Hardware until 1959. In 1967, Ruth and
Keith moved to Appleton, Wis., where they managed a motel before moving to
Daytona Beach, Fla. to manage Perry's Ocean Edge Motel until Keith's illness.

Ruth worked at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University until her retirement in
1987. Ruth moved to Flagler Beach, Fla. and worked part-time for Wolfe
Hardware. She enjoyed meeting people and was very knowledgeable in the hardware
business. In 1995, Ruth moved to Plainview, Minn., to be closer to relatives.

She belonged to Immanuel Lutheran Church in Plainview where she was very active
in Bible study. She also corrected papers for the fifth and sixth grades at
the Immanuel Lutheran School. It was a thrill for Ruth when the children came
to bring the papers and pick them up. She usually had candy bars. She leaves
behind many dear friends in Plainview.

Ruth moved to the IOOF Home in Mason City in July 2004. Ruth made many special
friends there among the nurses, aides and residents.

Those left to cherish her memory are her children, Patricia Hoyt and her
husband, Robert, of Garner, Iowa, William "Bill" McGowan and his wife, Judi, of
Urbandale, Iowa and Theodore "Ted" McGowan and his wife, Pamela, of Huntsville,
Ala.; six grandchildren, Keri Allison, Kelli Zimmerman, and Kirk McGowan and
his wife, Dana, all of Urbandale, Iowa, Suzanne Copas and her husband, Tim, of
Ventura, Traci McGowan (deceased), and Jay McGowan of Huntsville; ten
great-grandchildren, Ashley, Austin and Aryn Allison of Urbandale, Mallory,
McKenna, Meredith and Mason Zimmerman of Urbandale, Braden and Bryson McGowan
of Urbandale, and Krystal Copas of Ventura; a dear cousin, Emogene Evans, of
Plainview as well as other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Keith, on April 20, 1979; a
granddaughter, Traci McGowan, who died on Jan. 15, 1999, and two sisters, Lois
Simpson and Elizabeth Fagan.