Elmer M. "Sam" Ruden 1917-2012

RUDEN, NEUMANN, SCHMAL, PINS, KARNS, SABERS

Posted By: Cheryl Moonen (email)
Date: 1/22/2015 at 22:24:58

Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA) - Thursday, August 2, 2012

DYERSVILLE, Iowa - Elmer M. "Sam" Ruden, 95, of Dyersville, died Tuesday, July 31, 2012, at The Finley Hospital, Dubuque, after a brief illness.

A Mass of Christian burial will be at

10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 3, at St. Francis Xavier Basilica, Dyersville, with the Rev. Dennis Quint officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Friends may call from 3 to 7 p.m. today at Kramer Funeral Home, Dyersville, where a vigil service will be held at 3 p.m.

Elmer was born on April 6, 1917, in Bankston, Iowa, son of Peter and Mary Ann (Neumann) Ruden. He married Marie M. Schmal on July 30, 1941, in Holy Cross, Iowa; she preceded him in death in 2006.

He worked as a machinist at John Deere Dubuque Works and was one of its oldest retirees.

Elmer enjoyed hunting and fishing and was a faithful Chicago Cubs fan. He loved visiting with his family and friends and enjoyed a good card game and a lively game of dominoes.

Surviving are his three sons, LeRoy (Carol) and Dave (Patti), both of Dyersville, and Tim (Nita), of Burnsville, Minn.; two daughters, Nancy (Mike) Pins, of Marshalltown, and Beverly (John) Karns, of Cherry Hills Village, Colo.; a daughter-in-law, Anne Ruden, of Dubuque; 19 grandchildren, Wayne, Scott, Becky, Tom, Brian, Michelle, Adam, Cory, Aaron, Brandon, Andrew, Jennifer, Katie, Tenneh, Natoma, Kabba, Catherine, Madison and John; 14 great-grandchildren, Nikolas, Erik, Sammy, Alexis, Shawn, Hailey, Lucas, Maggie, Connor, Emily, Katie, Sophia, Jacob and Gabriel, with one more arriving soon; and sisters-in-law, Sylveria Ruden, of Dubuque, Shirley (Arnold) Meyer, of Dyersville, and Louise Schmal, of Guttenberg.

He also was preceded in death by his parents; four children, Dale, James and Mary Joyce in infancy and Robert in 2003; two grandchildren, Sarah and Nicholas Ruden; siblings, Sister M. Lorena Ruden OSF, Cecile Sabers, Nick, John, Clarence, Louis and Lawrence Ruden; and in-laws, Clarence, Martin, Raymond and Aloysius Schmal, Kathryn Neumann and Helen Berg.

Memorials may be given to St. Francis Xavier Haiti Fund.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.kramerfuneral.com.