Ruth Alma (Risch) Thompson, age 93, died March 16, 2018. Ruth was a longtime resident of Wayne County.
She was born in Dearborn County on July 3rd, 1924, to Harry and Alma Risch.
She grew up with five loving siblings: Dorothy (Werner), Robert “Bob”, Melvin, Viola (Sherwood) and Paul Risch. Ruth was united in marriage to the love of her life, Ralph W. Thompson, on November 15, 1941. They have two children, Charlene A. Smith of Cambridge City and Kenneth E. Thompson of Jackson, New Jersey.
While raising her children, Ruth was a member of Sigma Alpha Sorority and played softball on the Sigma Alpha Softball Team. Ruth was a Unit Supervisor at New Castle State Developmental Center from April 27, 1959 to July 29, 1986. Upon retirement, Ruth continued to cherish time with family, planting flowers and shrubs, spending time outdoors, and crocheting keepsake pieces for family – while earning blue ribbons on crochet designs at the Marion County Fair. Ruth delighted in telling stories of her childhood and was proud of her Hoosier farming heritage. She was also proud of her German ancestry and relished sharing memories of her father, mother, and grandparents speaking German, especially on Sundays, while she was growing up at home. She was an avid reader and took pleasure in reading a variety of materials from National Geographic to mystery magazines. Over the years, she took periodic trips with work friends, vacations with her daughter, Charlene, and granddaughters Tonja and Sonja, visited her son, Kenneth, and his family in New Jersey, snuggled lovingly with her special canine friend, Brandie, and traveled throughout the 48 contiguous states with her eldest granddaughter, Melanie, and great-grandson, Kaeden. Ruth took pleasure imparting valuable life lessons to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and they were honored to benefit from her wealth of wisdom. She had a feisty spirit and exemplified the meaning of possessing true grit. Ruth was completely selfless, concerned always of others and never herself. She was the consummate caregiver. Ruth left the most precious gift family and friends could receive – the special part of herself which now lives on in their hearts and minds.
Survivors include her children, Charlene Smith of Cambridge City, Kenneth Thompson of Jackson, New Jersey; 5 grandchildren, Melanie Smith of Indianapolis, Tonja Shewman of Shirley, Sonja Smith of Connersville, Heather (Eliot) Braun of Summit, New Jersey and Lindsey Thompson of Avondale, Arizona; 5 great-grandchildren, Kaleb (Katelyn) Shewman of Indianapolis, Kaeden Smith of Indianapolis, Zach, Jakob, and Jonah Braun of Summit, New Jersey.
Visitation will be held 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, 2018, with funeral services following at Marshall & Erlewein Funeral Home in Dublin, Indiana. Ruth will be laid to rest next to her loving husband Ralph, of 62 years, in Riverside Cemetery, Cambridge City.
On-line condolences may be made at www.marshallanderleweinfuneralhome.com