Lyle & Ruth Hageman

Lyle was born on a farm in Garnavillo, Iowa. He graduated from the University of Iowa, and after college, he served in the U.S. Navy for twenty years. During that time, he was stationed in California, Vietnam, and Virginia. After retiring from the Navy, he worked for defense companies in London, the U.S. Postal Service, and the FBI.

Ruth was born in Colesburg, Iowa. She was the eighth of eleven children. Her grandfather was the town doctor, and Dr. Dittmer attended to Lyle’s mother when she gave birth to him in August 1935. A few months later, Dr. Dittmer attended to his daughter-in-law, who gave birth to Ruth in November 1935. They attended the same high school and eventually eloped before Lyle left to attend the U.S. Navy’s Officer Candidate School in 1957.

Lyle had many passions and hobbies. He was a lifelong woodworker, having made several pieces of 18th- and 19th-century reproduction furniture. He loved to sail, play the guitar, tinker with electronics, and play golf.

Ruth was an avid bridge player and a voracious reader. She loved to shop for antiques, host dinner parties, and sail the blue waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Depending on the time of day, she could always be found with either a cup of coffee or a glass of scotch.

Lyle and Ruth enjoyed traveling together; they visited China, Vietnam, Italy, Egypt, Iceland, and Germany, to name a few of their trips.

Lyle’s enduring legacy will be the way he loved and was loved by his family. We will always remember Ruth’s warm laugh, dry sense of humor, and deep love for her family and friends. We are so thankful for their lives, the many lessons they taught us, and the countless memories we have together.

To honor Lyle and Ruth’s wishes, there will not be a service. Their family plans to travel to Iowa this spring, where they will spread their ashes.