Ruth Ann Anderson

Ruth Ann (Bell) Anderson passed away peacefully at the age of 79 on February 18, 2024. Ruth Ann was born on 31 January 1945 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Ruth Ann was an 11-year member of 4-H; her specialty was clothing. In 1962, she was a national 4-H club winner and was awarded a college scholarship presented by Coats and Clark.

Ruth Ann graduated from Cheyenne East High School in 1963 and attended Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska, from 1963 to 1965. It was while she was a student at Hastings College that she met her husband, Gary Anderson. They were married in Cheyenne, Wyoming on 13 June 1965. Ruth Ann made her own wedding dress with silk Gary purchased at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964.

Gary and Ruth Ann moved to San Anselmo, California, where Gary was enrolled as a postgraduate student. Gary’s subsequent professional career moves led to residences in Munich, Germany; Axtell NE, McCook NE, Alexandria VA, Colorado Springs CO, Peachtree City GA and Ottawa County OH. Gary and Ruth Ann traveled extensively throughout Gary’s remarkable career as an Olympic Gold Medal Winner and subsequently as an International Shooting Sport Federation Vice President. Their travels took them to Canada, Mexico, Germany (also the DDR), Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Australia, Russia, Switzerland, Great Britain, The Maldives, Kuwait, Spain, Cyprus, Italy, and Brazil, among other countries.

Ruth Ann was an active member for many years in Lutheran Churches in Virginia, Colorado, Georgia and Ohio.

In 2016, Ruth Ann wrote a collection of 34 stories that followed Gary’s Olympic dream from a Nebraska farm to Olympic Gold in Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City 1968. She titled the collection “Inside the Bullseye,” which first appeared as a blog that later transitioned into a book.

Ruth Ann loved life, and enthusiastically brightened the lives of those around her. Her favorites included classical organ music, bells, butterflies and hummingbirds. She was especially fond of peonies, lilacs, and pansies. She enjoyed handwork, especially embroidery. She and Gary raised a large garden every year and shared excess produce with neighbors and the local food pantry.

Ruth Ann had a keen interest in Katie Luther, a former nun who became the wife of Martin Luther, the Reformer. She researched and prepared a presentation on Katie’s life. She titled it “Katarina von Bora Luther, Herr Kätie, Morning Star of Wittenberg” and gave the presentation several times.

Ruth Ann is survived by her husband of 58 years, Gary; daughter, Kirsten Georgi (Ken); son, Erik Anderson (Zac Snell); grandson, Max Georgi; granddaughter Annaliese Georgi, as well as her sister, Barbara Patterson and nieces Lynn Becker and Lori Cook (Alex), sister-in-law, Karen Hulce (Marty), and niece Jill Reynolds (Andrew). She was preceded in death by her father, Virgil Bell; mother, Helen Curtin Bell; nephew Barry Schmeichel; and brother-in-law, Harold Patterson.

A memorial service and celebration of life will be conducted at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Grace Lutheran Church, 19225 W. Witty Rd., Elmore Ohio, with one hour of visitation prior at the church. Pastor Jaci Tiell will officiate. Robinson-Walker Funeral Home & Crematory, 165 E. Water St., Oak Harbor, Ohio is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.walkerfuneralhomes.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be directed to:

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

19225 Witty Rd, Elmore, OH 43416

Christy’s Corner Cafe (a coffee shop employing and supporting teenagers and adults with special needs)

368 Rice St, Elmore, OH 43416

Oak Harbor Public Library

147 W Main St, Oak Harbor, OH 43449