Obituary of Ruth Boettcher
A funeral service for Ruth Boettcher, 89, of Spirit Lake, will be held Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 10:30am at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake. Burial will be at Lakeview Cemetery. Visitation will be on Wednesday, October 27 after 3:00pm with the family present from 4:00-7:00pm at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established which will be given to Ruth's favorite charities.
Ruth Mae Boettcher, the daughter of Elvin and Florence (Broadwell) Samson, was born January 29, 1932 in West Bend, Iowa. She started school in West Bend and after the family moved to a farm east of Arnolds Park, she continued her education and graduated from Arnolds Park High School in 1950.
On April 18, 1954, Ruth married William S. Boettcher in Spirit Lake. The couple moved to rural Albert City, Iowa in 1955 and moved back to Spirit Lake, Iowa in 1967.
Ruth’s first job after high school was working with the Electric Company in Spirit Lake. After marriage, she became a farm wife and worked alongside Willie. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do on the farm except milk the cows, that is where she drew the line. She was an amazing cook and baker. She baked homemade bread and rolls every Saturday morning for her family, and no one turned down her fried chicken.
After Willie passed she started working as the Church Secretary at Immanuel. She loved the interaction with all of the church members and loved working for her Lord. In 2001 Ruth retired after 15 years and enjoyed her retirement. She led the Quilters at church for several years and loved to volunteer for any LWML church activities until her later years.
She moved to Homestead Cooperative in 1996 and was the President of the Board for many years. She loved the friendships she made there and loved her home. When Covid hit, she moved out to the farm to spend more time with family and not be so isolated. Many, many great memories were made during this time.
Ruth loved gardening, raising flowers and feeding birds. She also enjoyed dancing, fishing, traveling and spending time with her family. One of her favorite things to do was following her grandchildren in their school and sports activities.
Ruth served as a 4-H leader, was a member of the Immanuel Lutheran Church, a member of the LWML Ladies Group and served on several church boards. She also served on the Hospital Board and the Hospital Auxiliary Board where she started the Tree of Love.
Ruth passed away October 24, 2021 surrounded by her family at Accura Healthcare in Spirit Lake, Iowa at eighty-nine years of age.
She is survived by her son, John (Kristy) Boettcher of Spirit Lake; daughter, Susan Boettcher of Spirit Lake; grandchildren, Dan Boettcher and Emily Boettcher; sister, Naomi Flury of Dodge Center, Minnesota; brother-in-law, Robert (Eileen) Boettcher of Spirit Lake; sister-in-law, Betty Boettcher of Liberty, Missouri; several nieces and nephews.
Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, William Boettcher in 1987; parents, Elvin and Florence Samson; sister, Dorothy Palmer; brother, Robert Samson.