Ruth K. (Kasper) Wenckus (1920-2010)

WENCKUS, KASPER, GWIASDA, COLLIER, BERGER, SCHNEIDER

Posted By: Ames Tribune
Date: 8/23/2010 at 09:54:46

THE AMES TRIBUNE, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Tuesday, August 17, 2010.

Ruth K. Wenckus, 89, of Ames, formerly of Palatine, Ill., died Sunday, Aug. 15, 2010, at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. A celebration of life Mass will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18, at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Ames. Prior to the service, her family will greet friends in the church narthex from 10 to 11 a.m.

Ruth was born Sept. 18, 1920, in Chicago, to Otto and Emily (Rushford) Kasper. She was raised in the Chicago area and attended St. Mary’s High School in Chicago. She married Theodore Wenckus on Dec. 7, 1940.

For more than 20 years, Ruth worked for Sears Roebuck in Chicago. At her retirement in 1985, she was employed as a national and international assistant buyer in the Automotive Division, one of the first women to hold such a position.

After retiring, she traveled extensively, visiting places around the country and throughout the world. She collected friends and stories wherever she went. She always enjoyed being around people, hosting guests, playing games, cooking and socializing. Right to the end of her life, she possessed a wonderfully sharp wit, told great jokes and delighted in making her family and friends laugh. She loved good food, followed by even better drink. After living for more than 80 years in the Chicago area, she moved to Ames in 2004.

She was a member of St. Cecilia Catholic Church, the Ames Woman’s Club, Friends of International Women, and several local bridge clubs. Weekly, she served as a volunteer tutor in the ESL program at St. Cecilia. Additionally, she enjoyed activities at Heartland’s senior center.

She is survived by a loving family including daughters, Barbara (Karl) Gwiasda, of Ames, and Sandra (the late James) Collier, of Pryor, Okla.; grandchildren, Stephen (Valerie) Gwiasda, of Ames, Susan (Don Wolter) Gwiasda, of Ames, Victoria (Martin Berger) Gwiasda, of Oakland, Calif., Gregory (Sara) Gwiasda, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Mitchell (Lora) Collier, of Locust Grove, Okla., and Andrew (Kay) Collier, of Brinklow, Md.; 11 great-grandchildren; one nephew, William Kasper, of Colorado Springs, Colo.; one niece, Karen (Dan) Schneider, of Trinity, Ala.; and several cousins.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; and one brother, William Kasper.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to St Cecilia Church, 2900 Hoover Ave., Ames, IA, 50010; or to Heartland Senior Services, 205 S. Walnut Ave., Ames, IA, 50010.

Condolences may be sent to www.stevensmemorialchapel.com.

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