Ruth Sterk, age 84 of Sanborn, IA passed away at the Prairie View Nursing Home in Sanborn, IA on Wednesday, April 25, 2012.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 28th at 11:00 a.m. at the First Reformed Church in Sanborn. Rev. Gary Hegstad will be officiating.
Visitation will begin at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, April 27th at the Sanborn Funeral Home with the family present from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday evening. Burial will be at Roseland Cemetery in Sanborn, IA at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday.
Ruth A. Sterk, the daughter of Marinus and Jeanette (Van Dyke) Harthoorn was born June 5th, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois. She received her grade school education at Roseland Christian Elementary School in Chicago and attended Sheldon High School. She was united in marriage to William Sterk on October 27, 1944 in Sheldon, Iowa in her parents home. Soon after they were married, they moved to California while Bill served in the Navy. After his discharge, they farmed northeast of Sheldon until 1962. They then moved to a farm near Hartley and continued farming there till 1990. After they retired, Bill and Ruth moved to their home in Sanborn. Shortly after Bill passed away in 2005, Ruth took up residency at the Prairie View Nursing Home. On April 25, 2012 Ruth went to be with her Lord and Master.
Ruth was a member of the First Reformed Church of Sanborn for the last 50 years of her life. She enjoyed playing both the piano and the organ for the church and the nursing home during those years. She was very active in the Sunday School program, Woman’s RCWM, Bible School, Woman’s Circle and was highly involved in numerous Bible studies. She also sang or played the piano for the church choir, and accompaniment for the school music small group contests. Ruth always had a strong spiritual faith and it continuously showed in her daily life.
She loved music, flowers, silk flower arranging and camping with her husband Bill in their camper. She and Bill loved to travel and once traveled to their ancestral country of Holland. She was a real people person and cherished all of her friends. She thrived on her family and absolutely cherished her grandchildren.
Ruth was a devoted wife and a loving mother of five children, and had one brother. Those left to cherish her memory are her three sons; Denny and his wife Bunny from Windsor, Colorado; Ron and his wife Cherie from Hartley, Iowa; Dave and his wife Julie from Garfield, Minnesota and 2 daughters; Sue and her husband John Hengeveld from Sanborn, Iowa and Nancy and her husband Verlyn Fast from Bingham Lake, Minnesota. Her brother, Ken Harthoorn and his wife Judi are from Melvin, Iowa. Also left behind to cherish her memory are 14 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren along with many other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband Bill, her parents and her younger sister Marilyn.
