O'Gorman, Ruth Ramona (Hintzen) -- 1919 - 1998

STOHR, HINTZEN, OGORMAN, DEPPING, WADE, LENSCH

Posted By: IA GenWeb Volunteer
Date: 6/9/2010 at 11:50:35

Decorah Journal, Thursday, Dec. 24, 1998

..Press Time Bulletin

RUTH HINTZEN (O'GORMAN), 79, of Mason City, died Wednesday, Dec. 23, 1998, at North Iowa Mercy Health Center in Mason City.

Graveside services will be held Saturday, Dec. 26, at 11 a.m., at Elmwood Cemetery in Mason City. The Major Erickson Funeral Home of Mason City is handling arrangements.

Ruth used to be the office manager for Federal Crop Insurance office in Decorah. She was formerly married to Leo O'Gorman and returned to using her maiden name.

Survivors include two sons, Craig O'Gorman of Broadus, Mont., and Mark O'Gorman of Britt.
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Decorah Public Opinion, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 1998

Ruth Ramona Hintzen

Ruth Hintzen, 79, of Mason City, died Wednesday, Dec. 23, 1998, at the North Iowa Mercy Health Center in Mason City.

Graveside services were held Saturday, Dec. 26, at 11 a.m., at the Elmwood Cemetery in Mason City with the Rev. James Norem officiating.

The Major Erickson Funeral Home of Mason City handled arrangements.

Ruth Ramona Hintzen was born Jan. 15, 1919, on the family farm, rural Mason City, the daughter of Fritz G. and Bertha (Stohr) Hintzen. She attended Lime Creek Township No. 5, known as the Freeman School. She graduated from Mason City High School in 1936 and attended Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls. She taught in rural school for 10 years.

She was active in 4-H and held offices including president. She showed at the local fair in sewing and canning. She entered foods at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. Also, Ruth exhibited purebred Hampshire hogs and won prizes at the county fair in 4-H.

Ruth was married March 2, 1946, to Leo O'Gorman at Austin, Minn., and lived at Nora Springs for two years before moving to Cody, Wyo., where they homesteaded at Heart Mountain.

Their son Craig was born Feb. 15, 1948, at Mercy Hospital in Mason City, where he had pyloric stenosis surgery at six weeks of age. He was 4 years old when they moved to Decorah.

While living at Cody, Wyo., most of the homesteaders had to attend G. I. agriculture classes one night a week and had F.H.A. loans. They were required to keep farm record books that included the 97 homesteaders who came in 1948. Ruth kept the records and the G. I. instructors entered several record books in the Wyoming State Fair. Hers took first prize, $25.

While at Cody, she was a member of the E.L.C. home mission church there and taught Sunday School. She organized school programs for the home school and had parts in the programs to raise money for the school.

In 1950, the family moved to a small farm south of Decorah and were active members of the Decorah Lutheran Church. Ruth taught Sunday School and was secretary of the church women's organization and the head of the circle, where she lead Bible study to adult women's groups. She also served as a member of the Board of Deacons for three years.

Ruth took a two-year course to be a teacher of the Bethel course. Then she taught Old Testament scriptures to large classes of adult members for one year, followed by New Testament teachings for many years. She received a gold lapel pin at the completion of the Bethel Teacher's course.

She was a member of the church Board of Education and helped the pastor with the Saturday confirmation class for two years. At the pastor's request, she wrote lesson plans which were sent throughout the world to missionary schools.

Ruth was chosen as township chairperson of the Democratic party, then voted county chairperson, then a delegate to the state meeting. She attended the inauguration of Gov. Harold Hughes and the Governors Ball and Banquet.

One of her duties was to submit recommendations at county meetings and send them to the United States Senate. She had major responsibilities in getting the Decorah postmaster appointed.

When the agent in charge of Federal Crop Insurance of Northeast Iowa died suddenly of a heart attack at a state meeting, Ruth was appointed to take over that position. Then the other counties were opened to have that coverage and her work load increased.

She took the Civil Service test and was employed by the Civil Service Commission for over 18 years. She was transferred to the Mason City office, where she remained until the office was closed and the plan administered by private agents instead of the U.S.D.A.

While living near Decorah, Ruth also baked and decorated cakes for weddings and special anniversaries. She made and decorated cookies for wedding receptions, and helped with the receptions for neighbors.

Also, Ruth did custom hay baling, combining and corn picking.

She baked and cooked hundreds of pounds of food, breads, pies, cakes, cookies, jams and other items to send to relatives and friends the past 14 years. She enjoyed surprising people.

Survivors include her sons, Mark O'Gorman of Britt, and Craig and Dana O'Gorman of Broadus, Mont.; one brother, Robert "Bud" Hintzen of Cheshire, Conn.; and one sister, Wanda Depping of Thornton.

Ruth Hintzen was preceded in death by her parents; a sister in infancy; sister Mona Wade; brother Walter Hintzen; and half-sister Emma Lensch.
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Transcribed by an IA GenWeb Volunteer from obituaries found in the Howard-Winneshiek Genealogy Society Library, Cresco, Iowa.