Ruth E. Olson Wilson

Ruth was born in Powers Lake, North Dakota to Olaf (Ole) T. and Gertrude Olson on September 8th, 1921. Olaf Olson had emigrated from Stockholm, Sweden and was homesteading in Powers Lake when he met Gertrude (Trudy) Uglum who had emigrated from Bergin, Norway. Gertrude, a Teacher, had her own homestead nearby in Beau Bells, North Dakota. The couple met at a square dance where Olaf played the fiddle and called cadence. Besides farming Olaf also sold insurance.

The Olson’s farm, outside of Powers Lake, comprised a Quarter Section of land where Olaf built both a house and a barn. Ruth had many stories of sleeping with the baby farm animals, in the home, during the cold winter months. Ruth also had stories of walking three miles to school in the snow. The Olson family also owned a house in Powers Lake that was open at times to boarders, and the needy. Ruth only learned to speak a few words of Swedish/Norwegian, as her parents would only allow English in the home. As a baby Ruth lost the little finger of her left hand while crawling near an exposed belt on the motor of a wringer washing machine. Later in life this was not to be a disability for her when playing the piano. Ruth’s piano playing could be quite creative. Besides Hymns, Ruth could play Boogie Woogie and a jazzy version of Bluegrass. One has to wonder how musical she could have been with professional direction.

Ruth was the youngest of the siblings. She had two sisters, Olga and Erma as well as one brother Eugene. A third sister Emelia or (Amelia) had died of a heart defect at about age 8. Emelia died in her mother’s arms, and told her mother that she could see Angels, descending from heaven.

Crops from the family farm suffered from drought and insects especially during the Depression years. The Olson’s were mainly dry farmers using horse teams and steam tractors. The family depended on rainfall for most of their crops. During the late 1930’s the children started to settle in the Portland area, because son Eugene didn’t want to be a farmer. The parents soon followed.

When World War 2 started Ruth was working as a maid in the Eastmoreland neighborhood of Portland. She enlisted in the Army and was assigned to the Signal Corps in Washington D.C. where part of her duties included cashiering at the PX., and office duties, (possibly involving German Prisoners of War) at an unknown location. After the war Ruth returned to Portland to be with her family. Ruth met Robert H. Wilson from Johnson City, Tennessee while at a dance, and soon they were married. Robert H. Wilson was a navy veteran of WW2 and a Marine Reservist.

Ruth’s first child a son, also named Robert was born in 1948. Shortly thereafter another child, a daughter named Cheryl came along, and then twin babies Sandra and Steven. Ruth and her husband divorced, remarried for a short time, and then divorced again in the mid 1950’s. The family maintained a home at 3124 N.E. Wasco. The children went to grade school at Fernwood on N.E. 33rd and they attended Benson and Grant High Schools.

During the early 1950’s Ruth worked at the phone company for a few short years before settling on a career as a single mom and Board licensed Masseuse. She had the basement of her home remodeled into a steam bath and massage business, including a few weight loss machines. To get city approval for the business she had to circulate a petition to her neighbors. The home business allowed her to stay close to her children. Ruth was referred most of her client base from local Doctors, preferring to limit her practice mostly to women. Ruth was one of the earliest members of Business Women of America. At one of the meetings she was thrilled to meet then Governor Mark Hatfield. Finances for her were always “nip and tuck”.

She didn’t know how to drive and never owned a car. She loved to walk and frequent trips to the grocery store pushing a cart with groceries back home were the norm. For her family Ruth liked to make molasses cookies and cinnamon rolls. She would tell her children stories like Billy Goat Gruff a Scandinavian Folklore, however she would change some of the storyline to reflect that, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the hill. Another of Ruth’s priorities, while her children were young, was going to Sunday school, Church and Vacation Bible School. While money was always tight she would often use what little she had to hire a Taxi for church services. While en-route to Church she would quiz the children on the books of the Bible.

In the mid 70’s after her children were raised Ruth sold the Wasco street home and bought a duplex near 90th and S.E. Ankeny. Ruth lived- in, and managed the duplex for nearly 20 years. During this time she provided care to the elderly who were home bound, and worked as a Teacher’s Aide at a nearby grade school.

Towards the mid 1990’s after having lived alone several years, Ruth sold the duplex and moved to Gateway Baptist Home (now Parkview) in order to have more social interaction and services. While a resident there, she frequently could be heard within the facility, playing the piano in the Chapel. Her piano playing provided a lot of enjoyment for the Residents. Ruth was able to remain totally independent here until near the end of her life.

Besides her four children Ruth is survived by six Grandchildren: Robert Joseph, Matthew, Jennifer, Joshua, Travis and Chad, as well as ten great- grandchildren: Emma, Dailah, Thomas, Savanna, Logan, Tyler, Andrew, Teagan Mason and Kurt.

Ruth died peacefully at Oregon Health Sciences University of Natural Causes on Saturday, January 21st, 2012 and will be interred at Willamette National Cemetery.