Grace Catherine Ruden (1943-2022)

RUDEN, MURRAY, MCDERMOTT, ROBERT, GRACE, VINCENT

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 7/23/2022 at 17:05:36

Grace Catherine (Murray) Ruden, 79, of Dubuque, Iowa passed away on July 19, 2022.

Grace was born on February 6, 1943 in Dubuque, Iowa, the second oldest child of Vincent Patrick Murray and Dorothy Agnes (McDermott) Murray.

She attended St. Patrick’s Elementary School in Epworth, Iowa and graduated from Epworth High School in 1960.

She was a telephone operator and supervisor at Northwestern Bell Telephone Company from 1960-1970. She was a loving and devoted stay at home mother for years before returning to work as a proofer/checker at Carlisle Publishing in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.

She married Robert Ralph Ruden on July 20, 1968 at St. Patrick’s Church in Epworth, Iowa.

Grace was a wonderful cook, a tidy housekeeper and could stretch a budget like nobody’s business. She was an incredibly kind and generous woman who would go out of her way to help anyone if she could. She was a magical mother who could turn red lights green by blowing on them and could produce a Lifesaver, a stick of Trident gum or a Kleenex out of thin air. She was a woman of deep faith and everyone always wanted her famous lemon bars recipe at church functions.

Grace loved long walks with friends, talking on the phone for hours and going to the movies. She was a lifelong music lover, especially Irish sing-a-longs around the piano. She believed most things could be held together with Scotch Tape and was a big fan of Barbara Streisand and Dr. Pepper. She lived a simple life with gratitude and carried her cross with dignity and resolve without complaining. She was sweet, funny and the best friend you could ever want. Her children never doubted her love for one minute. She will be missed so very much by so very many.

She is survived by her three children; Steven Robert, 53, of Dubuque, Ellen Grace, 52, of Iowa City, and Paul Vincent, 51, of San Diego. She is also survived by her seven siblings; Robert (Bev) Murray, Daniel (Beth) Murray, Sister Corine Murray, PBVM, Ray (Jane) Murray, Rich (Kathy) Murray, Beth (Mark) Cook and Bill Murray.

She was preceded in death by her baby brother, John Joseph, on May 9, 1953, her father, Vincent, on October 29, 1996, her mother, Dorothy, on June 18, 2011 and her sister, Joyce, (Callahan) on March 19, 2015.

A Celebration of Life memorial service for her will be at the Dubuque Arboretum this fall. Leonard Funeral Home & Crematory, Dubuque, Iowa is assisting the family.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in her memory to Hospice of Dubuque or to the National Alliance on Mental Illness at NAMI.org