Ruth Ellen Ruddell

Ruth Ellen Dachenbach Ruddell, daughter of Warren and Maisel (Metz) Dachenbach, was born February 28, 1946, and passed away at St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday, September 9, 2022, at the age of 76 years, 6 months, and 12 days. Funeral services will be held Thursday, September 15, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. at the Pierschbacher Funeral Home in Chariton. Interment will be at the Chariton Cemetery following the service.

The service will be livestreamed at the following link: https://my.gather.app/remember/ruth-ruddell

Family will receive friends on Wednesday, Sept. 14th at the funeral home from 4:00 until 6:00 p.m. Memorials may be made to the Senior Citizens Center or the First Presbyterian Church in Chariton.

Ruth was raised in the Chariton area and attended one year of country school at Hickory Grove before attending school in town and graduating from Chariton High School in 1964.

Ruth caught the eye of Ron Ruddell, she was not 16 when they met and her parents would not allow dating until then, but Ron was patient and they dated through high school and were married on August 31, 1964, at the First Baptist Church in Chariton. They just celebrated their 58th Anniversary and have been by each other’s side ever since.

Ruth worked for Western Mutual Insurance in Des Moines while Ron attended school at Drake. The couple moved back to Chariton in 1967, and she began working in Chariton at the Sears Catalog Store and then at Montgomery Wards heading up their catalog department. Ruth also worked for local attorney Paul Christopher, as one of his secretaries, along with her good friend, Darlene Smith. She then worked for Spurgeons and South Central Mutual Insurance Association where she retired in November 2005.

In her free time, Ruth was active in her community. She was always willing to give and volunteer as needed and was a very active member in the First Presbyterian Church helping with the choir and serving as treasurer for many years. Ruth belonged to the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority and the Town and Country Book Club for many years. She was an avid reader and she also loved to sew and quilt.

Ruth will be greatly missed by her husband of 58 years, Ron Ruddell; siblings: David (Wanda) Dachenbach and Marian Wright; and many nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.

Preceding her in death were her parents: Warren and Maisel Dachenbach; and sister, Mildred Rollins; grandparents: Orrie and Adda Dachenbach, and Walter and Rebecca Ellen Metz; brother-in-law Bob Wright; and great nephew, Sean Goodman.