Ruth Mildred Pearson

Ruth Mildred Turner was born in Clay Center, NE on September 2, 1915 to Fred and Elizabeth Turner, She had 4 brothers. Her mother died when she was only 6 years old and she went to live with the Richerts family who raised her and her brothers were raised by other families. Although growing up separately, Ruth and her brothers remained very close. Ruth graduated from Clay Center High School in 1933. After high school she went to Minneapolis, MN to go to secretary school. When she returned from secretarial college during the great depression a young attorney in Clay Center agreed to hire her for only $3.00 per week. After a year she moved to Omaha, NE and was employed as a public stenographer for First National Bank. She moved to Los Angeles, CA in 1937. In 1938 her only daughter Patricia was born. In 1939 the family boarded an ocean liner to Honolulu, Hawaii. While in Honolulu she worked for a company dealing in Army and Navy supplies. In 1941, just 3 weeks prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor she and her young daughter returned home to Los Angeles for health reasons and could not return due to the war.

In 1942 Ruth and her daughter returned to the Richert home in Clay Center, NE and Ruth obtained employment at the Hastings Ammunition Depot as a secretary. In the fall of 1943 she moved to Chicago, IL and worked for Bell and Howell Company. She returned to Clay Center and visited before making her permanent residence back in Los Angeles, CA. She worked in LA for the Pacific Railway for 10 years, after which she resigned and found work closer to home. In October, 1955 she was employed by United California Bank in Norwalk, CA as a secretary this lasted for 21 years until she took early retirement to help care for her husband who had heart surgery and a stroke. Her husband Sidney Pearson died in 1980. Through her life Ruth enjoyed card games, hosting family functions, working out at the gym, belonging to the Retired Senior Volunteer Program of the YMCA in Whittier, CA, spending as much time as possible with her family, always enjoying time with her daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was an avid reader and especially loved Danielle Steele novels and she also loved doing crossword puzzles. She kept busy enough to never be bored. Whenever friends or family would visit Ruth, you never went hungry nor were you short of great conversation.

In 2003, she moved to Fountain Valley, CA to live with her daughter Patricia and son in law Orlando Burillo. She continued to enjoy the family and friends and was always ready to share a story about the good old days. The family always called Ruth “The weather man” because you could always call her to find out the weather as she constantly watched the news. She also loved watching Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy and never forgetting the Nebraska Cornhuskers football. She was a diehard fan her entire life. Ruth was blessed with good health through the ripe old age of 99 when just prior to her death she came down with Pneumonia and Colitis. She passed away at home on April 17th in Fountain Valley with her daughter and son-in-law by her side.

Ruth is survived by her daughter, four grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and many other relatives and friends. Everyone who knew her loved her and everyone called her Gram.

In lieu of flowers the family is asking for donations to Disabled American Veterans.

She will be interned at Live Oak Memorial Park on May, 13th and A Celebration of Life will be held in her honor on August 29th.