Ruth M. Neally, former Irrigon resident, died on April 19, 2018 in Hermiston at the age of 92.
She was born on Sept. 4, 1925 in Chicago, Ill. to John and Maria Schick Rasmussen.
Ruth’s father was working two jobs, trying to save enough money for them to go to Africa as missionaries. Due to the stock market crash of 1929, they lost all their savings and had to give up their dreams of going to Africa. They were tired of the bitter cold of Chicago and decided to move to Florida. They moved to Lake Worth, where her father worked in a Danish pastries bakery. Ruth attended school there from grade school through high school. She had two sisters, Dorothy and Alice. She worked at the Morrison Field Airbase in West Palm Beach. She had some vacation time, so she decided to visit family in San Francisco, joining her sister Dorothy.
Ruth decided to stay in San Francisco, where she got a room in a boarding house where they got all their meals except for dinner on Saturday and Sunday. Some Marines moved in on the floor above them and to get the girls’ attention, they would drop their boots on the floor after they took them off at night. But only five of the six boots would fall, and this got Ruth’s curiosity. So, one morning she asked who it was that just dropped one boot, and that is how she met her husband, Jim Neally, and her sister Dorothy met her husband, Charles Dixon. They dated for a number of months before Jim was discharged from the Marines and decided to move back to Seattle, where a job was waiting for him. After he got an apartment, he had her join him and they were married in Seattle.
Jim drove long haul truck but eventually went into mechanics and worked on diesel engines. For a number of years, they lived on an 85-foot retired surplus high seas rescue ship, and later on a retired 110-foot sub chaser. Ruth and Jim
spent many years deep sea fishing. They had two boys, John and Glen. They lived on the ships until their boys were out of school. Ruth went to work for the state department of fisheries.
Later on, they moved to Leavenworth, Wash., where they built a house and enjoyed the snow until their health told them to move again. They purchased property in Irrigon and bought a manufactured home. Ruth lost her husband, Jim in January 2004 due to cancer after 57 years of marriage. Ruth had lived in Irrigon for 16 years when she fell in 2011 and was unable to live at home and moved to Sun Terrace.
While living in Irrigon, Ruth attended Columbia View Community Church, where she taught adult Bible study class and the women’s Bible study. She loved singing in the musicals that were put on by the church. While living at Sun Terrace, she loved attending Bible studies and other activities. Ruth was a mighty prayer warrior, praying for all. She is survived by her sons, John in Florida and Glen in Texas; sister, Dorothy Dixon, Utah; two granddaughters; and several nieces, nephews and friends.
Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, Jim; her parents; and sister, Alice.
A celebration of life service was held on Thursday, April 26, 2018 at Sun Terrace Assisted Living Facility, Hermiston.
A private burial was at Desert Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Irrigon.
Please sign the online condolence book at burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
Burns Mortuary of Hermiston was in care of arrangements.
