In Memory
RUTH M. (SCHRADER) WHITESEL
Oct. 2, 1944 - Aug. 21, 2011
SOUTH BEND - Heaven received a giving angel on Sunday, August 21, 2011, when our daughter, wife, sister, aunt and friend passed away at Hospice House, South Bend. Ruth started her life journey in Lansing, Michigan, on October 2, 1944, as the first child born to Dorothy and Benjamin Schrader.
The family moved to South Bend, Indiana, when Ruth was very young, where she attended Harrison Elementary School and Holy Family Catholic School. She graduated from Washington High School in 1963.
She was an active parishioner of Holy Family Catholic Church and Holy Cross Catholic Church. She later became a member of West Side Church of Christ where, as Ruth Bartz, she married Robert Whitesel on October 15, 1983. She lived in South Bend for the rest of her life.
Ruth is survived by her husband, Robert Whitesel; her mother, Dorothy Schrader; her sisters, Gloria Newling, Betty (Ed) Borlik, Nancy (Jerry) Morris and Janet Lewis; her brothers, Michael (Barb) Schrader, Joseph (Carmen) Schrader and James (Yvonne) Schrader; her mother-in law, Joan Whitesel; and her brother-in-law, John (Debbie) Whitesel; several nieces and nephews; her (kids) pets, Hannah, Buddy, Spice and Harry; and her dear friends, Henrietta Tafelski, Sue Kmitta and Marybeth Corbett.
Ruth was preceded in death by her daughter, Suann Marie Bartz; her father, Benjamin Schrader; her sisters, Patricia Meyers and Theresa Schrader; nieces, Melissa Schrader and Rosemarie Elliott; her father-in-law, Marion Whitesel; and many beloved pets that were like her children to her.
Ruth worked at several places including Stephenson's Shirt Factory, Amsco and Target, but later worked for more than 35 years as Office Manager at Kuert Concrete, retiring in 2006. She was a member and chapter president of the National Association of Women in Construction. Ruth enjoyed travelling, camping, bird watching, ceramics, crocheting, knitting, sewing, crafts, playing Bingo, and playing her organ. She was like a mother hen to everyone, always taking those in need under her wing. She was always loving and giving.
Visitation will be from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm Friday with a Celebration of Life Memorial immediately following, August 26, 2011, in ST. JOSEPH FUNERAL HOME, 824 S. Mayflower Road. Private burial will take place at St. Joseph Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Center for Hospice Care, 111 Sunnybrook Court, South Bend, IN 46637. Condolences for the family may be made at www.sjfh.net.
Published by South Bend Tribune on Aug. 25, 2011.
05/28/2023 EJS
|