Bakken, Ruth Sarah Elizabeth (Gesell) 1924-2009
BAKKEN, GESELL, GUNDERSON, FLATLAND, COLLINS, BRANDON, CLEMENS, FLEISCHER
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 8/11/2012 at 17:43:22
Ruth S. E. Bakken, age 85, of Decorah, Iowa, and formerly of Ridgeway, IA, died Thursday, June 25, 2009 at Aase Haugen Home in Decorah.
Memorial Services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Friday, July 3, 2009 at Peace Lutheran Church in Ridgeway by Rev. Ginny Olson and Rev. Phillip Olson. Private family inurnment will be in Lincoln Cemetery in rural Ridgeway. Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah is handling the arrangements.
Ruth Sarah Elizabeth Gesell Bakken was born March 2, 1924 to John and Anna (Gunderson) Gesell in the farmhouse on the east Ridgeway, Iowa, just at the city limits. She spent her girlhood there, enjoying the things around the farm. She loved the animals, especially her horse, Prince. She learned all the skills of those days from her mother such as gardening, canning, and cooking. She was baptized on April 13, 1924 and confirmed on May 14, 1939 at Lincoln Lutheran Church in Ridgeway. Her family moved from Ridgeway to Maquoketa, Iowa and onto Delmar, Iowa and finally back to Ridgeway where she graduated from Ridgeway High School with the class of 1942. During high school vacation she worked for Mr. Skinner, the superintendant at Niagara Cave. Later, she worked for Dr. Parker in Fayette as a housekeeper-nanny. She then moved to Kansas City, Kansas and worked for the Hallmark Card Company. She married Russell Gaynor Bakken on February 15, 1943 in Kansas City, Kansas. They made their home in Ridgeway. This union was blessed with three children: David, Roderick, and Sarah.
Ruth was a cook at the Ridgeway school, worked at Wapsie Produce in Decorah and then began at the Winneshiek County Memorial Hospital in 1972 in the dietary department until her retirement in 1989.
Ruth was an active member of Lincoln Lutheran Church and then Peach Lutheran Church in Ridgeway, in Sunday School, Circle, and Ladies Aid. She enjoyed cooking, needlework, coffee with friends, gardening, canning, ceramics, participating in civic groups and traveling, including day trips with Russell. Throughout her life and especially after her retirement she was an avid reader.
She had a stroke in May 1991 and spent the last eighteen years of her life as a resident at the Aase Haugen Home in Decorah. Ruth was a well thought of and active resident at the home and will be remembered for her positive, cheerful, upbeat attitude and her ability to make people laugh. She always left a trail of coffee cups and books all over the home.
Ruth passed on to her heavenly life on Thursday, June 25, 2009 at the age of 85. In accordance with her wishes, Ruth’s body was cremated. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Russell on October 24, 2000; and by her sister, Gertrude Flatland. Ruth is survived by her three children: two sons, David (Kathy) Bakken of Decorah, Iowa and Roderick (Nancy) Bakken of Ames, Iowa; one daughter, Sarah (Tom) Collins of New Hampton, Iowa; eleven grandchildren: Hans Bakken, Anna Bakken, Heidi (Kyle) Brandon, Sean (Laura) Bakken, Kara (David) Clemens, Sabrina (Aaron) Fleischer, Lars (Kristen) Bakken, Sara Bakken, Andy (Cori) Bakken, Jordan Collins and Kyle Collins; and by one brother, Rod Gesell of Long Beach, California.
Memorials may be given to the Aase Haugen Homes, Inc., 4 Ohio Street, Decorah, Iowa 52101 or Peace Lutheran Church, 745 County Street, Ridgeway, Iowa 52165.
Source: Fjelstul Funeral Home database
Lincoln Lutheran cemetery
Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Bruce Kuennen.
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