Ruth Koehn

Ruth Ella Koehn, 94, of Parkers Prairie, entered the gates of heaven on Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at St. Williams Living Center.
Memorial service will be 1 p.m., Friday, April 1, 2011, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Parkers Prairie with Rev. Kirk Lee officiating. Music will be provided by organist, Gloria Hollatz, soloist, Dedra Zwieg and the church choir. Inurnment will be at the Parkers Prairie Cemetery at a later date.
Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service at the church.
Arrangements are provided by Lind Family Funeral & Cremation Service, www.lindfamilfyfh.com .
Ruth was born May 27, 1916, to Mike and Ella (Behnke) Riedman in Parkers Prairie. She was baptized on July 2, 1916, by J.F. Schumacher and confirmed on June 22, 1930, by August Sieving at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Parkers Prairie. She graduated from Parkers Prairie High School in 1936, where she also took part in basketball and cheerleading. Ruth enjoyed riding horse and swimming in Lake Adley as a young woman. She was united in marriage to Arnold Koehn on April 10, 1938, in Bertha and to this union a son, Michael "Mickey" was born. Ruth thoroughly enjoyed being a homemaker and her garden, especially raising raspberries. She shared her gift of entertaining by cooking and baking for her family, making coffee for friends that stopped while sharing a slice of her specialty pecan pie. She enjoyed playing cards with the ladies card club and whist night with neighbors, Ervin and Orrel. She loved the company of her dogs, Bimbo and Punky. Ruth enjoyed going out to eat and had a love for "The Peak Burger" and pie at the local caf?'s. Ruth crocheted many beautiful afghans and slippers that she gave away over the years. Ruth moved into St. Williams Living Center on March 5, 2003, where she thoroughly enjoyed every activity that was on the social and church calendar each day of the eight years she lived there. She enjoyed dressing up and having her hair and nails done. She loved spending time with family, especially holiday get-togethers, reunions, picnics at Lake Adley, driving around the roads she use to walk as a child and sitting by the fire with a kitten in her lap where she was very much at home with the conversation and people around her. She was a devoted member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, its choir, LWML, and was very proud of the pipe organ that was given the church in memory of her son, Mickey. The Lord was the most important piece in Ruth's life and with her vision failing due to Macular Degeneration the music from the pipe organ was a soothing delight to her as she attended church regularly.
Ruth was preceded in death by her son, Mickey on April 30, 1997; husband, Arnold on February 5, 2003; and daughter-in-law, JoAnn on April 5, 2005.
Ruth is survived by her step-granddaughter, Judy (Ralph) Hemmerlin of Parkers Prairie; step-great-grandchildren Justin Hemmerlin and Samantha (fianc?, Kyle Prechel) Hemmerlin; sisters-in-law, Gladys Paulson and Lucille Langley; special friend, Helen Kraemer; and several nieces and nephews.
Honorary pallbearers will be David Uhde, Helen Kraemer, Vinal & Kathy Franson, Marshall Kalpin, Buddy Kalpin, Dennis Kalpin, Justin Hemmerlin, Samantha Hemmerlin, Kyle Prechel, and the Nurses & Activities staff of St Williams.

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