Ruth E. Krolzick

Ruth was born on May 2, 1925, in Eau Claire and into a wonderfully large family. She was one of 14 children born to William and Tillie Kublick. She was raised on a farm where her favored chore was to cook for the entire family. She attended Eau Claire High School. On September 5, 1942, she happily married Gordon J. Krolzick. While serving his country in WWII, she proudly worked as a mechanic’s helper at the U.S. Air Force Sub-depot in Gulfport, MS and assisted in military aircraft training exercises. They moved to Benton Harbor in 1946. Together they had four children. Ruth was employed by VM and Ollie’s Clothing Store in St. Joseph in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. She was a loving, supportive, and patient mother and wife who fully devoted herself to her family. The tenderness with which she shaped the lives of her husband and children- and all she touched – revealed her caring nature. She was gentle and fun-loving and generated a happy and carefree environment for her children to grow up in. She loved to entertain and welcomed everyone into her home with a generous and caring spirit. Her hospitality was unsurpassed in every way. Ruth took volumes of pictures over the years and clipped countless newspaper articles about family and friends, which she meticulously organized into albums. She also enjoyed gardening, re-decorating her home for the different seasons and holidays, and collecting recipes. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 1:00 P.M., Monday, December 17, 2007, at First Church of God, 2627 Niles Ave., St. Joseph, with Rev. Robert Confer officiating. Burial will follow at North Shore Memory Garden in Coloma. Visitation with the family will be Sunday afternoon from 3:00 to 6:00 P.M. at Kerley-Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, in St. Joseph. Memorial donations may be made to Lakeland Regional Medical Center toward either the L-Tech division or the CCU Unit. Those wishing to send the family a message of condolence may do so online at www.starks-menchinger.com. Ruth is survived by her husband Gordon of 65 years; her children, Marlene (Gary) Paganello of Royal Palm Beach, FL, Debra (Jerry) Anderson, of Cardiff by the Sea, CA, Lenore Riccioni of St. Joseph, and Gordon (Tamara) Krolzick, II, of Benton Harbor; 8 grandchildren, Jason (Jennifer) and Dustin (Ronda) Kruger, Paul Paganello, Brandon & Brooke Anderson, Adam and Angela Riccioni, and Breanne Birdsong; one great-granddaughter, Abigale Kruger; 3 brothers, William, Jr., Leonard (Pat), and Jerry (Shirley) Kublick; one sister, Laverne Kwasneski; and by numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, Ruth was preceded in death by her siblings, Albert, Arthur, Gilbert, Clarence, and Elmer Kublick, Mary Gross, Alice Riberdy, Alvene Gleason, and Esther Cerecke; and by one grandson, Brian Anderson. She was cherished by her family and they are all thankful she shared her life with them. She will be greatly missed.