Ruth M. Wiegers
Ruth M. Wiegers
Ruth M. Wiegers of Boise passed
away on January 24 at age 92. Born in 1926, Ruth was the oldest child of Ernest
and Myrtle Counsell. She grew up on a dairy farm near Osage, Iowa, with two siblings.
Shortly after she moved to Denver in 1948, she fell when the high heel on her
shoe broke as she stepped off a streetcar. She also fell for the man who caught
her, C.E. “Bud” Wiegers. They were married for 55 years, until he died in 2004.
Bud spent over 20 years in the Air
Force, so he and Ruth saw the world. Their first son was born in Japan, the
second in California, and their daughter in Maine. All five of them then headed
to Europe for a three-year tour of duty in Italy and France. The family settled
in Boise in 1965 upon Bud’s retirement from the Air Force.
Ruth’s educational plans had been
disrupted by illness after graduating from Osage High School. She finally
collected her bachelor’s degree in psychology with honors from Boise State
College in 1972.
Ruth was extensively involved with
her community, performing many types of volunteer work and leadership roles over
the years. Her volunteer efforts included Head Start, Cub Scouts, Parents and
Youth Against Drug Abuse, Parent-Teacher Organizations, Neighborhood Watch,
tutoring, and more. Her many years of public service were recognized in 1991
when she was honored in the “Portrait of a Distinguished Citizen” feature in
the Idaho Statesman. Ruth received another great honor in 2002, when she
carried the Olympic torch in Boise as part of the winter Olympic Games held in
Salt Lake City. She proudly displayed her torch in her various homes for the
rest of her life.
Music was an important part of
Ruth’s life. She was a skilled pianist and loved to sing. Her singing activities
ranged from churches and high school glee club, to Madrigals and the singing
group at Brookdale Senior Living in Boise, where she resided for 11 years. She
and the rest of the family also loved to play games of any kind: card games,
board games, Yahtzee, Chinese checkers, anything. She especially enjoyed
Pinochle, Bridge, and Mahjong. Ruth also was an avid reader, with her hands on
a book until her last days.
Ruth is survived by her children,
Karl Wiegers (Happy Valley, Ore.), Bruce Wiegers (Boise), and Kathy Reynolds
(Littleton, Colo.); and four grandchildren. Preceding her in death were her
husband, Bud; her brother Carlin Counsell; and her sister Marise Groves.
A memorial service will be held on
Tuesday, January 29, 2019 at 10 a.m. at the Alden-Waggoner Funeral Chapel with
burial to follow at Morris Hill Cemetery. Viewing will be held from 9 a.m.
until the service time. In lieu of flowers, please consider memorials to the
Idaho Youth Ranch.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ruth M. Wiegers, please visit our flower store.
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