Ruth Alice Martin, 98, formerly of Ottawa, IL, passed away on March 14, at Brookdale Senior Living in La Crosse, WI.The funeral service will be at 11:00 am on Saturday, March 23, in the Open Table/First Congregational United Church of Christ at 910 Columbus Street with the Rev. Chuck Maney officiating. Burial will follow in Oakwood Memorial Park. Visitation will be in the Mueller Funeral Home, Ottawa, Illinois from 4 to 7 pm on Friday, March 22 and at the church on Saturday from 10:00 am until the time of the service.
Ruth Alice Finch was born on November 20, 1920 to Jeff and Sudie (Jones) Finch in San Saba, Texas and later moved to the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas where she graduated from Donna High School. She was then employed at the Harlingen Air Force Base and met the love of her life, Otto W. Martin. They were married on September 1, 1945 in Donna. After his discharge from the Army, Ruth and Otto moved to South Ottawa and farmed on the Martin family farm until purchasing Clegg-Perkins Electrical Contractors, where Ruth served as the Office Manager.She was an active, 70-year member of the First Congregational Church in Ottawa and served as the moderator, a deacon, Sunday school teacher, and a member of the choir and Puritan chapter women’s group. Ruth was a member of Junior Matrons, the Woman’s Club, PTA, La Salle County Historical Society, Elks Ladies Bridge, La Salle County Women’s Extension Group, and a Camp Fire Girls leader. She was also an avid gardener, loved nature and enjoyed crafts. Nothing was more important to Ruth than her family.
She is survived by her daughter, Pam (John) Thiel of La Crosse, Wisconsin; a daughter-in-law, Peggy (Mike) Martin Badger of Mt. Horeb, WI; two granddaughters, Betsy (Karl) Bitter of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin and Laurel (Mike) Bowar of Verona, Wisconsin; and a great granddaughter, Aniston Bowar of Verona; many nieces, nephews, and cousins; and countless treasured friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; four brothers, Arvil, Jack, Pete, and George Finch; two sisters, Eunice Walton and Dora Cox; her beloved husband on January 28, 1981; and her dear son, Marty Finch Martin, on March 30, 1999.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the ALS Association at www.alsa.org or P.O. Box 37022, Boone, IA 50037-0022; or the Shriners Hospitals for Children at www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org or 2900 N. Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607.
Ruth has been laid to rest in the Garden of Devotion.