Ruth Carlsson

Elder sister to Judy and Jane, Ruth Elizabeth Doering was born in 1916 and was raised all over the American west, mostly in her beloved Montana. With the full and loving support of her businessman father and pioneer-nurse mother, George and Martha Doering, Ruth went off to Los Angeles then New York City to study art, making many life-long friends. In New York, Ruth (to support herself) worked at Bloomingdale's, before it was chic, then (to support the troops) worked long hours at Grumman Aircraft during World War II.

Ruth moved back west to Spokane and married architect Laurel E. "Lars" Carlsson in 1951, where the couple raised two sons, James and Paul, and Ruth taught art classes. Ruth and Lars spent the last 38 years of their lives in Olympia, surrounded by water and trees and the sound of birds, by good books and by the pictures of their four grandchildren. Outliving her husband of 60 years by only 4 months, Ruth (like Lars) died at home, Ruth two weeks before Easter. She was 95.

Ruth Carlsson led a good, good life.

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Ruth is survived by son James Carlsson & his friend Patricia Phelps, son Paul & his wife Glenda Carlsson; grandson Scott & his wife Jillian & great-grandson Parker Carlsson, grandson Evan, granddaughters Jacquelyn and Erica; nephews Don Gumprecht, Tom Gumprecht, E. R. "Rip" Carlsson IV, George Carlsson, and Ernest Gumprecht; nieces Martha Rohrs, Ruth Carlson, and Erica Bender.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 14, at 2:00pm at St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2109 College Street SE, Lacey, WA, 98503.

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