Ruth Carpenter

Posted 3/6/03

Funeral services for Ruth Carpenter, 87, were held Saturday, March 1, at the Peterson-Johnson Funeral Home in Milaca with the Rev. Fred Reker officiating.

Burial was at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Milaca. Music was provided by Chad Carlson, Katie Trunk and Ann Trunk. Pallbearers included Ray Orton, Robert Orton, Darold Orton, Brian Meyer, Tony Carpenter and Jeff Lund. Honorary pallbearers included Michael Smith, Mark Smith, Scott Carpenter, Thomas Villnow, Craig Dahlberg, John Trunk, Curt Mattson, Kenneth Villnow, John Lueck and Dave Nord.

Arrangements were by the Peterson-Johnson Funeral Home of Milaca.

Ruth died Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2003 at the Foley Nursing Center.

She was born Feb. 13, 1916 to Claude and Martha (Devitt) Cooper in Watertown, S.D. She moved to the Hayland Township area near Milaca as a young girl and attended Hayland country school. She later graduated from Milaca High School. She married Manford "Pete" Carpenter on March 16, 1938 at the Trinity Lutheran Church, with the Rev. Harold Hansen officiating. The couple farmed for three years near Blue Earth, Minn., before moving to Hayland Township north of Milaca where they lived for about three years. They then moved to the Foreston area where they lived until 1994, when they moved to Milaca. Ruth worked for 12 years at the Cambridge State Hospital.

She enjoyed music, gardening, cooking and doing crossword puzzles. She was also active in the Foreston Senior Citizens Group.

She is survived by her daughters, Janet Orton of Foley, Joyce and husband Patrick Smith of Alema, Wis., and Karen and husband David Lund of Princeton; sons, Jerry and wife Theresa of Pine Springs, Minn., and Maynard and wife Anna of Anoka; daughter-in-law, Debra Carpenter of Shoreview; 16 grandchildren; 31 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild; brother, Guy Cooper of Amery, Wis.; and many other relatives and friends.a
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Manford "Pete"; son, Terry; grandson, Donald; and 11 siblings.