Ruth Leila (DeWitt) Wake

1922 — 2022

In her one hundred years, Ruth Wake saw the Great Depression, a World War, the civil rights movement, missions to the moon, and the rise of the Internet. She started this path with parents who lived a riches to rags story. She was the namesake of her mother Ruth Kempe, who was well educated and landed, but after marrying Abel, the farm failed. They moved to California, where Ruth was born.

Growing up there, swimming in canals, listening to the telephone party line, and cranking the ice cream freezer, turned into being queen of the Gold and Green Ball, and working in a bomb plant as her brothers went to war. Then, Ruth worked as a secretary until serving in the Central States Mission. Through all this she learned hard work and frugality, devotion to her community and country, and how to build a great future with love and faith.

In 1959, she met and married Edgar Wake. He brought three daughters to the marriage, Sharen, Karen, and Connie. Ruth and Edgar had three sons, Paul, Carl, and Arthur, and they lived in Eureka, California, although they liked to get out of town to camp in the redwoods. While in Eureka, Ruth started the Indoor and Good Sports Club for people with disabilities. Then Edgar had a job transfer that took the family to Coquille, Oregon.

Ruth had grown up playing piano and violin, and reading poetry, and tried to inculcate culture into her former rancher and their boys. She also loved tide pooling, agate hunting, and watching whales, and Oregon was a great place for all of these.

Whether as a stake missionary, Relief Society President, or gospel doctrine student, she tried hard to build on her pioneer heritage. Working in literacy programs, and teaching piano including to kids without much money, she bettered her community. And always, she was a devoted wife and mother, educating herself throughout her life and sacrificing to make sure her children were well educated.

Edgar died in 1984, and after that Ruth moved to Utah, where she lived close to Connie, Nicki, and Paul, and within range of her other sons. She is survived by Sharen and Gary Erickson, Karen and Rick Chandler, and Connie and the late Dean Longmore, and by Paul and Nicki, Carl and SueAnne, and Art and Tisha, as well as by grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren. Her parents and five siblings passed on long ago. Now, after decades apart, her husband has welcomed her home.

There will be a funeral service at the Hobble Creek 14th Ward in Springville, Utah, on Thursday, June 23 at 11:00. There will be a graveside service at Myrtle Crest Memorial Gardens in Coquille, Oregon, on Monday, June 27 at 11:00.

Funeral Directors: Utah Valley Mortuary, Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.uvfuneral.com.