MEERDINK, Ruth Louise 1916-2001

MEERDINK, FORD, KNEIBEHLER

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 3/6/2011 at 16:14:17

RUTH L. MEERDINK

OSAGE - Ruth Louise Meerdink, 84, of Osage, died Thursday (Jan. 11, 2001) at the Mitchell County Regional Health Center in Osage. She was born on June 19, 1916 at the farm home east of Orchard, the daughter of William and Emma (Kneibehler) Ford. She attended grade school in West Lincoln Township and graduated from Osage High School in 1934.

She married Harold A. Meerdink on Jan. 10, 1940, at Mason City. They farmed the family farm until 1980 and then moved to Osage in 1985.

Ruth was active in the Osage Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, where she assisted in children's work and Women's Missionary Fellowship. She was instrumental in starting and maintaining an excellent church library until the time of her death.

Ruth particularly enjoyed expressing her gift of hospitality in hosting guest missionaries who were speaking at the church. She was also an active member of the community Cedarside Birthday Club.

Ruth will be remembered as a caring, supportive mother who enjoyed her family, reading, crocheting, knitting, needlepoint and gardening. She was also very involved in working on the family genealogy.

The funeral will be 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Osage, with the Rev. Rick Magstadt officiating. Interment will be in the Orchard Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage and one hour before services on Monday at the church.

She is survived by two sons, Keith Meerdink and his wife, Lois, of Salem, Ore. and their two daughters, Anita, of Seattle, Wash., and Katie, of Salem, Ore., and Dwight Meerdink of Orchard; two daughters, Joyce Ramsey and her husband, Mike, of Fridley, Minn., and their son, Kyle, and Rosemary Mader and her husband, Robert, of Hopkins, Minn., and their two children, Aaron and Emily.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Harold, who died in October 1999.

Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, (641) 732-3706.

Globe Gazette 1/13/2001