HARMON, Ruby L. 1917-2016

HARMON

Posted By: Gordon Felland (email)
Date: 4/26/2016 at 11:33:10

NORTHWOOD — Ruby Lois (Citurs) Harmon, 98, Northwood, died Thursday, April 21, 2016, at the Lutheran Retirement Home in Northwood.

A funeral service for Ruby will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 29, 2016, at the United Methodist Church, 1000 First Ave. N., Northwood, with the Rev. Shirley Hoffman officiating. Burial will be in the Sunset Rest Cemetery in Northwood. Visitation will be held from 4 until 7 p.m. Thursday at the Conner Colonial Chapel, 1008 First Ave. S., Northwood. Visitation will also be held one hour prior to the service on Friday at the church.

Ruby Lois Citurs was born on Dec. 2, 1917, to Roman and Bessie (McAnally) Citurs on the family farm in Deer Creek Township. She graduated from Northwood High School in 1936, and attended teacher-training classes at Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls that summer. She taught in rural Worth County schools from 1937 until her marriage to Sidney Harmon on June 10, 1945, when he returned from World War II. They had two daughters, Mary and JoAnn, and farmed in Grove Township from 1945 until they moved to Northwood in 1987.

In the 1960’s, Ruby went back to school, earning her AA degree from Mason City Junior College and her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Mankato State University. She taught in the Northwood-Kensett Elementary School, teaching Title I reading classes until her retirement. She also taught evening GED courses during this time.

After Sid’s death in 1990, she went on several trips, including visits to Hawaii, Alaska, Nova Scotia, the Bahamas, Australia and New Zealand. She spent 10 years, from 1998 to 2008, as a regular volunteer at the Top of Iowa Welcome Center, greeting travelers and listening to their stories.

Ruby was a member of the Northwood United Methodist Church, where she was a long-time 7th grade Sunday school teacher and member of the Ada Circle and the UMW. She and Sid also served many years as Recording Secretary, keeping track of Sunday offerings. Other memberships included N-KEA/ISEA/NEA, the American Legion Auxiliary and the Worth County Historical Society.

Ruby had a deep love for reading and American history. She was particularly interested in sharing pioneer stories, such as those by Laura Ingalls Wilder. She was an excellent cook, and she and Sid enjoyed entertaining neighbors, other friends and family. For many years she was an avid bird-watcher, and enjoyed seeing a wide variety of birds at her many feeders and among her flowers. Playing cards was something she always enjoyed. Her grandchildren have fond memories of playing Hearts and Canasta with Grandma. Ruby was also a seamstress, making quilts for her children and grandchildren after she retired.

Ruby is survived by her daughter, Mary (Jim) Vorland of Preston, Iowa, and JoAnn (Steven) Brunsvold of Kensett; her grandchildren, Mike (Andrea) Vorland of Jersey City, New Jersey, David (Megan) Vorland of Washington, D.C., Susan (Jeff) Haselhoff of St. Joseph, Michigan, and Brad (Shana) Brunsvold of Northwood; her great-grandchildren, Piper and Callan Brunsvold; her brother, Karl Citurs of Jefferson, Iowa; sister-in-law, Wanda Citurs of Northwood; and many nieces, nephews and other extended family members and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband Sidney, her parents Roman and Bessie Citurs, brothers Ray, Leon, Earl and Roman Citurs, sisters, Mary Johnson, and Esther Flatness; sisters-in-law, Mildred, Ina, Irene, and Freda Citurs, brothers-in-law Arthur Johnson and LuVern Flatness, Sidney’s brothers Oscar, Ben, John, and Roy Anderson and sisters Ada Newhouse and Genevieve Johnson and their spouses, and great-grandson Aidan Brunsvold.

Source: Mason City Globe Gazzette, April 26, 2016

Worth Obituaries maintained by Karon S. Velau.
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