Ruby Lorene (Severson) WOODBURY

WOODBURY, SEVERSON, COUNTRYMAN, RASMUSSEN

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 5/7/2014 at 13:13:12

April 21, 1921 --- May 5, 2014

Ruby Woodbury, 93, of Fort Dodge, passed away Monday May 5, 2014 at the Simpson Health Center in Fort Dodge. Memorial services will be 10:30 AM Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at the Tompkins Celebration Center at Friendship Haven. Visitation will be from 9:30 AM until the time of services or Wednesday, May 21st at the Tompkins Celebration Center at Friendship Haven. A private burial will be in the Glenwood Cemetery in Goldfield, Iowa. The Gunderson Funeral Home and Cremation Service are in charge of arrangements.

She is survived by her two children, Roberta "Bobbi" David Countryman of Ames, Iowa and Roger (Vicki) Woodbury of Fort Madison, Iowa; four grandchildren and six great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her sister and three brothers.

Ruby Lorene Severson was born April 21, 1921 on the family farm near Hardy, Iowa, the fifth and youngest child of Ben and Minnie (Rasmussen) Severson. Ruby attended rural grade school at Lake Township #5, and high school in Goldfield, being very active in music and plays. She was the first and only Miss Goldfield in 1938. After graduating from Fort Dodge Beauty Academy in 1940 she worked at Osman's Beauty Shop in Eagle Grove. On March 19th, 1941 Ruby married Ronald W. Woodbury at Riverside Methodist parsonage in Fort Dodge, "honeymooning" on the farm. Daughter Roberta (Bobbi) arrived on May 10th, 1943, son Roger on June 21st 1944, the award-winning farm expanding continuously over the years.

Ruby was active in the First Congregational Church, 4-H (club leader, county committee, home and garden lady, extension work, ISU hen demo flock), a longtime member of Webster County Historical Society, Iowa Genealogical Society, and charter member of both Webster and Humboldt County Genealogical Societies. Ruby's work is in "Webster Prairies- the Township History of the County", and much more on microfilm at the vast Mormon Library records in Salt Lake City. She co-authored "Douglas Township Historical Story with Bernice Hicks for the 1976 bicentennial. Ruby was active in Rasmussen family reunion matters. She made various radio, TV, and fair appearances.

Ruby also belonged to the Iowa Barn Foundation and Blanden Charitable Foundation. Having taken several kinds of night classes over the years, Ruby later took painting and sketching classes at Blanden Art Museum and joined Amateur Iowa Artists. Her oil painting "After the Snow" hung in the Iowa Governor's office one summer, was displayed at the state fair, and was sent on a statewide tour.

Following retirement from active farming, Ron and Ruby ("my little Gem") traveled the continent in their beloved Born Free camper, with frequent genealogical-oriented side trips, eventually relocating to Friendship Haven retirement center in Fort Dodge. Memorials may be left to the Good Samaritan Fund at Friendship Haven.

May 6, 2014
Fort Dodge Messenger - Iowa