Ruth Bray
Ruth Mary Bray, 97, of Fort Dodge, died
July 14, 2004 at the Trinity Regional Medical Center.
A memorial service will be held at
11:00 a.m. July 19, 2004 at the First Presbyterian Church with the
LPC Marcia Rich officiating. Ruth’s wishes were to have her
body gifted to the Des Moines University of Osteopathic Medicine.
Ruth, the daughter of Dorr Everett and Annette Rose (Grunig) Winegar
was born on June 5, 1907 in Fayette County on the family farm. She
attended country school near Westgate, Iowa and then graduated from
the Oelwein High School. Ruth continued her education at the Iowa
Methodist Hospital of Nursing in Des Moines and graduated in 1929
as Registered Nurse. She was united in marriage to Chalmer G. Bray
on June 26, 1930. During her nursing career she devoted her tender
caring heart and knowledge to those in Waukon, Ia, Friendship Haven,
Fort Dodge, Corpus Christi, TX and retired in 1972 from Friendship
Haven. Ruth enjoyed playing “Up-Words”, quilting, in which
many were quilted with her friends from the Presbyterian Church and
at Friendship Haven. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary
for 60+ years in Waukon, Ia. She was part of the Friendship Haven,
Nimble Thimbles and Ruth’s Circle at church.
Ruth will be greatly missed by her
3 daughters; Celia Bernadine Torgenrud, Merilynn Gorman and Barbara
Hastings; 2 nieces; 13 grandchildren; 28 great grandchildren and 2
great-great grandchildren.
Ruth is preceded in death by her parents,
husband, Chalmer Bray in 1965; son, George Bray in 2003; 2 son-in-laws,
Don Torgenrud and Ronald Hastings; 2 sisters, Dorothy Evelyn Schwab
and Annette Elizabeth Miller-Moeller; 1 brother, Kenneth Paul Winegar.
