Obituary: Ruth Genevieve (Dressler) Hughes

Ruth Genevieve (Dressler) Hughes passed into the presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Tuesday, March 18, 2008, at age 93.

Ruth was born Nov. 1, 1914, the fifth consecutive daughter to Sandhills-farming parents near Brunswick, Neb. By 1920, her father gave up farming and they moved to town. Ruth was valedictorian of her 1932 class at Brunswick High School.

Ruth used her scholarship to enroll at Wayne State Teacher's College, Wayne, Neb., in Sept. 1932. In Wayne, she met her first husband. She married Ivan Alonzo Hart on Aug. 21, 1933, at Marysville, Kan. Ivan was killed in an auto accident on Oct. 29, 1933. Ruth left college to pay the costs of his death.

Ruth remained in Wayne and met James Wallace Hughes, to whom she was married on Nov. 21, 1937. She was baptized on Oct. 15, 1944, at First Baptist Church, Wayne, Neb. After starting their family, Ruth returned to college in 1947 graduating with an AB in Education in 1949, and an MA in Education in 1962. She began a full-time teaching career in 1954; she taught in Winside, Wakefield and Belden, Neb. At Belden, she was also the high school principal.

In 1963, Ruth and Wally moved to Bainbridge Island, Wash., where Ruth taught high school English until 1973.

In 2007, their son moved them to Prescott, Ariz., so he could help care for their needs. Ruth and Wally celebrated 70 years of marriage on Nov. 21, 2007.

Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, Harry M. and Eunice Gertrude Dressler; her five sisters, Edna (Dressler) Stephenson, Marcia Dressler, Mary (Dressler) Norman, Eva Dressler and Lela (Dressler) Blakeney; her brother, Arthur Dressler; one son, William Hughes; and her daughter Barbara (Hughes) Dappen.

Ruth is survived by her husband, J. Wallace Hughes of Prescott, Ariz.; one son, James A. Hughes; and his wife, Judy, of Prescott, Ariz.; daughter-in-law Lynda (White) Hughes of Salem, Ore.; son-in-law Glen Dappen and his wife, Bonnie, of Lincoln, Neb.; her sister-in-

law, June (Frady) Dressler of Ankeny, Iowa; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

The memorial service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 5, 2008, at First Baptist Church, Prescott, Ariz., in the Solid Rock Center Chapel.

Log onto www.ruffnerwakelin.com to visit and sign Ruth's guestbook.

Arizona Ruffner Wakelin Funeral Home assisted the family with arrangements.

Information provided by survivors.


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