Ruth Mergertie (VanDusseldorp) SWYTER

SWYTER, VANDUSSELDORP, MICHELSEN, BLOXHAM

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 9/21/2008 at 11:32:42

MASON CITY — Ruth Mergertie Swyter, 91, passed away Monday (Jan. 8, 2007) at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa in Mason City. There will be no visitation as the body was cremated. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, 2006, at the Britt Christian Reformed Church in Britt, with Pastor Joel DeBoer officiating.

Ruth, the daughter of Neal and Mirinda Michelsen VanDusseldorp, was born on Sept. 20, 1915, on a farm south of Kanawha. She attended area rural schools. On Jan. 1, 1939, she was united in marriage with Carl Swyter at her parents’ home near Kanawha. The couple farmed on Carl’s home place near Britt in Erin Township, until retiring and moving into Britt in 1978. Ruth was a member of the United Methodist Church of Britt. She was a member of the church circle and served on various church committees. She was a long-standing member of the Rebekah Lodge. Ruth enjoyed quilting and doing embroidery work, and made quilts and many embroidery items for all of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also enjoyed her flower gardening, reading and keeping up with current events. She also enjoyed keeping in contact with her many relatives. After raising her family, Ruth obtained her GED. She then attended North Iowa Area Community College and Iowa Lakes Community College where she received her LPN nursing degree in March of 1974. In 1976, she received her EMT certification and was a charter member of the West Hancock Volunteer Ambulance Service. She also worked as a nurse’s aide at the West View Care Center.

Ruth is survived by three sons, Ross (Sandy) Swyter of Britt, granddaughters, Emily and Hannah; Roger (Beth) Swyter, of Nashua, grandchildren, Michael (Tana) Swyter, and Pam Swyter; and Robert (Peggy) Swyter, of Hoffman Estates, Ill., grandsons, Robert Jr.,(fiancee Stacy), and William. She is also survived by six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Carl, in 1992; two children. David, in 1943, and Sue Ann, in 1945; and a sister, Mildred Bloxham.

Mason City Globe Gazette, Iowa
January 26, 2007