Tribute

In the early hours of Tuesday December 6, 2022 Ruth Christine Hilderman quietly passed to be with her Lord and Saviour. Ruth, aged 71, had fought bravely for the last two years but lost this second battle with Cancer. Ruth was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, teacher and child of God.

An avid family historian, Ruth often told stories of the various family curiosities in her china cabinet. She contributed to her own family history by instilling traditions and recipes that will forever connect her to the family that survives her. Every family wedding was supplied a Kransekake lovingly made and decorated by Ruth. As the family grew and dietary needs changed she would provide Kransekake to meet all the needs of her family: nut free or gluten free, no culinary challenge was too big!

Many people benefited from Ruth’s hospitality and her table was always open. It wasn’t unusual to have a motley crew of people around the table to share in a meal and fellowship. The table was always lovingly decorated with seasonal linens and well curated meals. Even on her final day in hospital Ruth wanted to know if her daughter had eaten and knew where there was a fridge she could use. That was Ruth. Always wanted to make sure others were welcome and felt comfortable.

Traditions were important to Ruth. From the seasonal family fudge and plethora of snowmen candles at Christmas time or the Easter egg hunt in the Spring, Ruth marked every occasion with a joyful celebration: watermelon decorations to mark the joy of summer weather and gingerbread man decorations in the Christmas season.

The joy of teaching greatly impacted Ruth’s life. Upon receiving her first teaching contract there was a celebration and a picture. Ruth worked tirelessly to provide good lessons for her students and she was proud to contribute as a teacher. Much of her teaching career she spent as a Home Economics Teacher at Rick Hansen Secondary School. She was a teacher when that school opened and was one of the last remaining original staff members there when she retired. She touched many lives there as a teacher and colleague.

As both a pastor’s child and later a pastor’s wife, the Church was central in Ruth’s life. She volunteered in many capacities and supported many groups like the LWML, the Lutheran Pastor’s wives association as well as various quilting groups where she created quilts that were given away as charity.

There are many things her family will miss about Ruth–her kindness and generosity, her stalwart dependability, her dedication to all things family. There are also many things we will giggle about that will help ease our grief: the way she knew how many left turns were in every route home, or how many stop lights on each route, the way she made sure everything was fair: each grandchild getting the exact same amount of chocolate chips. Ruth’s sense of humor even on her last most serious of days was visible as she joked there was going to be an extra gift at the Christmas gift exchange now that she wouldn’t be there. Ruth will be very missed by all her family and friends. We are so blessed to have been able to spend this time with you and we look forward to meeting again in our Heavenly Kingdom.