Ruth Marie Rouland, 95, of Galesburg, Illinois, died peacefully in her sleep following a short battle with pancreatic cancer.
Ruth was born on September 25, 1928, in rural Knox County, Illinois, near Wataga, the son of Fred and Hilda Wenstrom. Ruth was a descendant of Swedish farmers who came to America in the mid-1800s.
Ruth grew up on the Wenstrom family farm in Knox County and was raised with five brothers and two sisters. Nearby lived her Wenstrom and Peterson grandparents.
Parts of the Peterson family first arrived in America in 1869 when Sven Peterson (Swan Perrson) and his son Sven immigrated to the U.S. Sven and Sven spent their first winter in the U.S. living in a cave near Messiah Lutheran Church in North Henderson, Illinois. The following year he purchased a farm and was joined by the rest of his family.
Ruth initially attended a one-room school house and later Galesburg High School, from which she graduated in 1945. Between 1946 and 1947, she was a student at Brown Business College.
Ruth’s first job was at Midwest Photo Supply on Broad Street in Galesburg, where she worked from the summer of 1945 until 1950. There, she was a photo finisher who colorized photographs.
On May 13, 1950, Ruth married the love of her life, John Richard Rouland at First Lutheran Church in Galesburg. First Lutheran would be her church for the rest of her life. Ruth and John went on to have two children, Steven Richard and Roger Wayne.
Ruth became an amazing mother and homemaker, keeping a spotless house and keeping her family well-fed and loved. While John was alive, the couple enjoyed camping throughout the U.S. with their two sons. In her spare time, Ruth also enjoyed painting, doing puzzles, memorializing family photos in wonderful albums, and having coffee with her close friends. She also devoutly read her Bible every night and kept a journal.
John retired in 1990 after a long career as a diesel mechanic and truck driver for Burlington Northern Trucklines and Builders Supply. That same year, the couple was blessed with their first grandchild, Preston Blake Wakefield Rouland. Ruth and John enjoyed babysitting and spoiling Preston during his early years.
After John’s passing in 2006, Ruth enjoyed being penpals with two other grandchildren, Taylor and Lauren. Her fourth grandchild was Jack. Just weeks before Ruth’s passing, she became a great-grandmother of Theodora Grace Winter.
Ruth is survived by her two sons, Steven and Roger, her daughter-in-law Michelle Rouland, her sister Dorothy Jean Brinton, her grandsons Preston Rouland and Jack Didesch, and her granddaughters Taylor Didesch and Lauren Winter.
Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, her husband John, her brothers Albert, Ralph, Kenneth, Arthur, and Dale Wenstrom, and her sister Jennie Irene Clayton.
Visitation is scheduled from 12:30-1:30 pm, Tuesday December 19, 2023, at Hinchliff-Pearson-West Funeral Directors and Cremation Services Galesburg Chapel. Services will follow at 1:30 pm at the chapel with Rev. Dr. Pamela Marolla officiating. The burial will be in Oak Lawn Memorial Gardens. Memorials may be made to First Lutheran Church. Online condolences may be offered at www.h-p-w.com
