Ruth was born on April 30, 1947, in Holland, Michigan, to Maurice and Jenette VanderHaar. Ruth graduated from Holland High School and went on to earn a B.A. in education from Western Michigan University. Ruth taught high school English in Arlington Heights, Illinois for 4 years. She then moved back to Michigan to pursue a second career in the medical field. When she moved to Lansing, she worked for Michigan State University as the supervisor of the billing office at the MSU Clinical Center. Before retiring in 2010, she was the office manager at the Sparrow Family Practice in Okemos.
Upon retirement, she was able to pursue the things she loved to do. She was an avid reader, and her Kindle was never far away from her. She loved doing crossword puzzles, especially the New York Times daily puzzle. She pampered her pets, two dogs, Jake and Sammie and two cats, Marco and Carley. Already they wonder why she is not home. They will miss her dearly.
She was preceded in death by her parents and half siblings. She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Geer Smith, step-children Heather (Jim) Westrin, Geer Smith III (Erin) and five step-grandchildren, Dylan, Aly, Tyler, Cody and Trenton. She is also survived by one niece Star VanderHaar Dennerline of Atlanta, Georgia.
Ruth and Geer would like to offer a special thanks to the support staff at Sparrow Hospital and Clinton Memorial E.R. in St. Johns. Their kind and compassionate care meant a lot.
Also, Geer would like to acknowledge the support of their special friends, Dr. Gio and Dorothy Perri. Gio was there for support throughout the surgery and was able to interpret and give guidance to Geer. Ruth would have wanted to say thank you for looking out for me and my husband.
There will be no memorial service at this time. Her wishes were to be cremated and a final resting place will be determined at a later date. A graveside service will be held at that time.
For those wishing to make a contribution in Ruth's name, her favorite charities were the Capital Area Humane Society, the Greater Lansing Food Bank and the Lansing City Rescue Mission.
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