Ruthanne Atkinson

She was 97 years old. Ruthanne was born on March 15, 1927, in Mahaffey, Pennsylvania where she grew up on a dairy farm. While attending Nyack Bible College, she met her future husband, Joe Atkinson, an aspiring pastor. Both Ruthanne and Joe finished bachelor's degrees at Wheaton College. Together they began a life of ministry, raising 5 children along the way.

Ruthanne was known for her strength and will of character, her sharp wit and sense of humor, adventurous spirit, resourcefulness, creativity, and dedication to the Christian faith. Ruthanne brought these qualities to her teaching career, beginning as a traveling Bible teacher in rural Maine. Ahead of her time, Ruthanne realized the importance of a healthy diet. Over the years, her home was full of herbal concoctions, essential oils, homemade crackers, and fresh produce from a sizable garden. Ruthanne shared her nutritional knowledge passionately with anyone who would listen, including her friends, children, bible study group, and students in her classes at the community college. Ruthanne gave free nutritional consultations to those who sought her help for various ailments, and her reputation as a nutritional healer grew in her church community. She also regularly cooked and served meals at a local church.

Ruthanne was a lover of nature. Across the years, her home was full of animals including cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, reptiles, a ferret, a skunk, and a hedgehog. Ruthanne and Joe conducted "cousin camps" for their grandchildren during the summer, filled with character-building activities and outrageous fun including a ropes course and field games. The children were intrigued by Ruthanne's disregard for expected norms. She raised eyebrows when as a minister's wife, she allowed her kids to skip Sunday evening services, and she once delighted the grandchildren by daring them to scale a wall at the community college across the street. To Ruthanne, the worst thing one could do was to be boring and predictable. She marched to the beat of her own drum and would not allow herself to be silenced -- a trait that lives on in her offspring.

After the children were launched, Ruthanne and Joe traveled widely, biking and hiking in beautiful places. Ruthanne's favorite was Switzerland.

Ruthanne is survived by her children Brent Atkinson (Lisa), Kent Atkinson (Pam), Kimberly Washburn (Steve), Kerry Holmberg (Mark), 16 grandchildren, and 23 great-grandchildren. Ruthanne is preceded in death by her husband Joe, her daughter Brenda, and her grandchild Kyle.

A private funeral service will be held for family and close friends on September 7 in Crystal Lake, IL. Instead of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America https://www.bbbs.org/donate/.