Ruth Juanita Norland

Ruth Norland of Fort Collins, Colorado passed away at the age of 97 on December 28, 2020. The eldest of Ralph and Alma Robertson’s three children, she was born at home near Thayer, Kansas on July 5, 1923. Ruth frequently shared stories about her growing up years, including hard times during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl years but also countless joyous experiences with friends and family – her parents and siblings as well as extended family members with whom she forged close and life-long relationships. She graduated from Thayer High School at the age of sixteen and began working at Kress Department Store in Chanute, Kansas on December 8, 1941 – the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

After moving to Arizona with her family in early 1945, Ruth secured a job as a store clerk in the Post Exchange at Luke Field near Phoenix, where she met Howard Norland right around the time he graduated from pilot training school in January 1946. They dated for two weeks, then Howard shipped out for his next military assignment in Illinois, but they continued their relationship by writing letters and became engaged a few months later. They were married on October 16, 1946 in Chanute, Kansas in a simple ceremony that Ruth described as, “the minister said so-and-so and so-and-so, and we said ‘yes’ and signed our names, and that was about it.”

During the next few years, Ruth and Howard lived in Illinois, followed by Japan, then back to Kansas, where they eventually settled in Mulvane after Howard accepted a job with Boeing in nearby Wichita in early 1951. With four children and a husband who worked three jobs and long hours to make ends meet, Ruth assumed day-to-day responsibilities on the home front. She was a skilled chef, a savvy consumer, an avid gardener, an accomplished seamstress and a tireless chauffeur. During the 1960s, Ruth also worked as bookkeeper for Mulvane Radio & TV – a business venture that she and Howard co-founded and co-owned with two other couples. As a mother, she expected (and modeled) hard work, a strong moral compass, personal responsibility, kindness, generosity and perseverance. And she really did have eyes in the back of her head – nothing got past her.

After 30 years’ living in Mulvane, Ruth and Howard moved to Huntsville, Alabama in 1981, then to Fort Collins, Colorado in 1992. A highlight of their retirement years was exploring the U.S. and Canada during extended trips in their motor home, visiting family and friends as well as national parks and other points of interest. Along the way, they logged 250,000 miles in three different motor homes across 49 states and Canada, including two treks to Alaska. While on those long road trips, Ruth completed an impressive number of needlework creations – mostly crocheted blankets and counted cross stitch keepsakes for the grandchildren. Ruth also cherished the friendships and good times shared with fellow members of the High Plains Drifters motor home club.

Ruth is survived by four children and their spouses – Kenneth (and Gloria) Norland, Ronald (and Cynthia) Norland, Carol (and Bill) Davis, and Janice (and Mark) Yeskie, as well as five grandsons – Marc, Keith, Philip, Andrew and Scott, one granddaughter – Amy, and four great grandchildren – Kamryn, Kathryn, Robert, and Owen. Ruth is also survived by her sister Ellen Brophy, her brother Lyle Robertson, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by Howard, her husband of 74 years, who passed away on December 21, 2020.

Ruth will be remembered for her devotion to family, her gentle spirit and gracious hospitality, her quiet determination, and her homemade pastries. If you stopped by to say hello, Ruth and Howard would invite you inside for a friendly conversation around the kitchen table, accompanied by a cup of tea and Ruth’s delectable pastry du jour, which might be a warm chocolate chip cookie, a slice of cherry pie, or perhaps a freshly baked cinnamon roll.

Allnutt Funeral Services is handling arrangements for cremation and interment at Fort Logan National Cemetery. A family memorial service and celebration of Ruth’s life will be scheduled for a later date.