Reitan, Ruth Elsie (Grefthen) 1931 - 2022
REITAN, GREFTHEN, THOMPSON, BOYDEN WILLIAMS, BUSH, NOWELL, GORDON, JACKSON, KENNEDY, MURPHY
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 9/2/2022 at 14:48:20
Ruth Reitan age 91 of Decorah, IA, passed away on Saturday, August 27, 2022 at Aase Haugen Senior Services in Decorah.
Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 1, 2022 at Decorah Lutheran Church with Rev. Peter Kowitz presiding. Burial will be in the Lutheran Cemetery.
In Lieu of flowers: memorials may be directed to the Phillip & Ruth Reitan Endowment for Teaching and Learning in the Biological Sciences at Luther College, Decorah, IA.; or the WMC Hospice.
Ruth Elsie (Grefthen) Reitan was born June 12, 1931, in Portland, ME; the daughter of the Rev. Emil and Olive (Thompson) Grefthen. Her childhood years were spent in her father’s parishes in Portland, ME; Milford, IA; and Taylor, ND. She was baptized, confirmed and was a life-long member of the Lutheran Church. She was graduated from high school in Taylor, ND, Class of 1948; was graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN, Class of 1952. On June 20, 1953, she was united in marriage to Phillip J. Reitan, from Regent, ND, at the Taylor Lutheran Church, Taylor, ND. They raised five children: Carol, Eric, Peter, Paula, and Rachel. Most of Ruth’s years were spent in Decorah, IA, where her husband was a professor at Luther College for 30+ years. The Reitans came to Decorah from Staten Island, NY, where Phil had been a professor at Wagner College for five years.
Ruth began her working career as an English teacher in Roseau, MN. She also worked at the Institute for Enzyme Research at the University of Wisconsin while her husband completed his Ph.D. studies. She was a stay-at-home mother until her two older children were in college at the same time. For 17 years she worked at the Luther College Library in the reference department. In retirement she enjoyed volunteering every Tuesday afternoon at the Decorah Lutheran Church office until the church hired a full-time secretaty. In 2009 Ruth and her husband Phil were given the Spirit of Luther College Award for their hospitality to students and alums of Luther College.
In her earlier years she enjoyed singing—having been a member of the Chapel Choir (freshman year) and the Concordia College Concert Choir during her college years. During her years in Madison, she was a member of the Madison Philharmonic Chorus. She was also a member of church choirs—in Madison, Staten Island and Decorah. While Phil was on leave at Harvard University (1964-1965) she was a member of the Cambridge Chorale. For a time, she was involved in Decorah’s New Minowa Players—remembered especially for her role as Bloody Mary in South Pacific. She was a knitter all her life, but in the later years she had more time to enjoy it (when Phil took over the kitchen!). She knit many, many Norwegian sweaters (adult and doll sizes), lots of other kinds of sweaters, plus hundreds of baby blankets. She was a weaver for a period of her life and was one of the founders of the Oneota Weavers’ Guild, Decorah. She also typed several Ph.D. theses (on a typewriter!) while in Madison. With the advent of the computer, she typed many Ph.D. theses in Decorah as well as Luther College’s history Stability and Change by H. Kaasa and L. Jordahl. She liked the precision and details of both knitting and computing! She also enjoyed following Luther College women’s basketball, including tournaments in Texas and California.
Ruth Reitan was a member of Decorah’s Travel Club. She enjoyed traveling. She traveled to Switzerland and Italy (left Phil home alone with three children!). Their foreign travel included trips to Australia, New Zealand, Malta, Norway, Iceland, England, Wales, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, and Japan. The Reitan family made many camping trips throughout the USA and Canada (Ocracoke Island, NC; Williamstown, MA; Vancouver Island, BC; Florida Keys; California coast; Baha, Mexico; and others). Further travels were made possible by Phil’s sabbaticals (Massachusetts, California, Washington, and Wisconsin). Many camping trips with LC biology faculty families were enjoyed (trips to Colorado, Florida, Oregon, Michigan, Virginia and the Great Plain states). The final group trip was to the Canadian Atlantic Provinces. Ruth managed to visit all 50 USA states in her lifetime.
She is survived by her husband, Phil, of Decorah, IA, and five children: Carol Reitan and husband Richard Boyden of Berkeley, CA; Eric Reitan and wife Avida Williams of St. Louis, MO; Peter Reitan and wife Huong Bush of Irvine, CA; Paula Reitan of Crofton, MD; and Rachel Reitan of New Orleans, LA. Ruth is also survived by four grandchildren, David & Samuel Boyden and Jacqui & Paisley Nowell: three step-grandchildren, Felisa Williams & husband Graham Gordon, Christopher Williams & wife Sagen Jackson. and Jeremy Bush; Step Great grandchildren: Ja’Nayah & Ja’Khiayla Jackson, Chris Junior, Ma’Lenia, & Melek Williams, and Graham Gordon II. (Deuce). Plus, one sister-in-law Jean Reitan. And many nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her mother (1969), her father (1972), her brother, Daniel W. Grefthen (2004) and her sister, Doris Grefthen Kennedy Murphy (2006).
Source: Helms Funeral Home database
Lutheran Decorah Cemetery
Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Jeff Getchell.
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