Lena E. "Lee" Gates Ruth

Lansing, Michigan

With sorrow but in remembrance of a full life we announce the passing of Lena Ethel (Gates) Ruth on Thursday, January 20, 2011.

Lee was born on March 3, 1920 in Carland, Michigan, on the family farm established by her grandfather Byron, on land he had received for service in the Grand Army of the Republic. Her childhood and youth were spent in Carland, Owosso, and Lansing, where she graduated from Central High School.

On August 23, 1941 she married Gerald Ruth in St. Johns, and they settled in Lansing. When Gerry joined the army shortly after Pearl Harbor and became a drill instructor, Lee traveled with him to army bases from Florida and South Carolina to Kansas and Arizona. She worked in a variety of jobs along the way, installing wiring in jet plane nosecones, selling dry goods, and serving in upscale restaurants. Lee continued to work in Lansing during Gerry’s military service overseas until he was wounded in France.

Following the war the couple resided on the south side of Lansing and reveled in the upbringing of their children and frequent communion with their close families and friends. They enjoyed family camping, playing cards, attending their children’s events, and traveling around the country, especially to army reunions.

Lee was a great newspaper reader and devoted follower of national and local politics. She was a frequent caller to local political talk shows, often using the pseudonym Sue Ryan. Any gathering of the Gates family invariably occasioned an impassioned and usually uproarious debate over the fortes and frailties of politicos of the day.

Lee was preceded in death by her husband, grandson Corey, and by her siblings, Stanley, Mildred, Clarence (Sam), Nina, Dorothy, and Fred. She is survived by her children, Douglas Ruth of Topeka, KS; Rebecca (William) Kahl of Lansing; Daniel (Nancy) Ruth of Thousand Oaks, CA; and grandchildren: Dan (April), Jeremy and fiancé Melissa, Megan (Scott), Susie, Margaret, Christopher and Johnathan, and 4 great-grandchildren: Sage, Dayne, Remi, and Deegan.

The family extends its heartfelt thanks to the staffs at Ingham Medical Hospital and at the Stoneleigh Residence of Hospice of Lansing. Viewing will be from 2-4 & 6-8p.m. on Monday, January 24th, with a celebration of life on Tuesday, January 25th, at Noon, at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, 900 East Michigan Ave, Lansing, MI. Memorial contributions may be made to: Stoneleigh Residence, 3411 Stoneleigh Dr., Lansing, MI 48910. Online condolences may be made at www.gorslineruncimanlansing.com