Ruth Hoenke

Funeral Service for Ruth I. Hoenke, 76 of Plevna, MT will be 11:00 a. m. Wednesday, October 25, 2006 at American Lutheran Church in Baker, MT with Pastors Bruce and Reba Kolasch officiating with special music by Lana Buerkle and Debbi Jo Varner. Pastor Bruce Kolasch will sing the Lord?s Prayer. Interment will follow in the family lot in the Peace Lutheran Cemetery at Plevna, MT with David E. Hoenke, Ryan Hoenke, Terry Hoenke, Shawn Hoenke, Jessica Hoenke, Rachel Brown, Vern Brown, Darcie Hoenke, Danielle Bates and Tyler Bates as pallbearers. Visitation will be 1:00 p. m. to 9:00 p. m. Tuesday at Stevenson Funeral Home in Baker with a Prayer Service at 7:00 p. m. in the Chapel of the Stevenson Funeral Home. Arrangements are under the direction of the Stevenson Funeral Home of Baker, MT. Ruth passed away on Saturday, October 21, 2006 at the Fallon Medical Complex in Baker, MT surrounded by her family, following a courageous battle with cancer. What greater legacy would one have than being a dedicated mother, productive lifelong worker, and a believer in always ?doing the right thing??Ruth was born on January 15, 1930 to Mervin and Emilie ?Mitzi? (Hoff) Young at the family ranch fourteen miles south of Baker, MT. She attended Hidden Water School for two years and then the family moved near Plevna, MT where she attended school. She then moved back to Baker in 1942 where she completed her schooling. During school, Ruth worked at The Bakery and ushered at the Baker Theater. Ruth met and later married Leonard Hoenke at Peace Lutheran Church in Plevna, MT on June 29, 1947. They enjoyed nearly 60 years of marriage. In 1948, while living in Plevna, they purchased, and ran Ruth?s Caf? until 1980. Ruth began a career with the United States Postal Service in 1965, working part-time in Plevna and later transferring to Baker in 1978 where she eventually worked full-time. Ruth retired on January 1, 2000 with 35 years of faithful dedicated service as a postal clerk at the United States Post Office in Baker, MT. Ruth loved spending time with her grandchildren, cooking (always more than needed), enjoying her ?coffee ladies?, feeding the goldfinches, sewing, embroidering, and quilting. She has an extensive collection of bells, cookbooks, and stamps. Ruth was a very giving lady and was widely known for her generosity in the Baker and Plevna communities and Peace Lutheran Church. Ruth is survived by her loving husband, Leonard; two sons, David (Virginia) Hoenke, Ismay, MT and Randy (Jodie) Hoenke, Baker, MT; a daughter, Roxie (Berton) Bates, Watford City, ND; eight grandchildren, David E. Hoenke, Ryan Hoenke, Terry Hoenke, Shawn (Jessica) Hoenke, Darcie Hoenke, Rachel (Vern) Brown, Danielle Bates and Tyler Bates; two great-grandchildren, Randi Hoenke and Mikal Hoenke; four sister-in-laws, Pearl (Bud) Shepherd, Everett, WA, Doris (Keith) Frost, Fallon, MT, Betty Jean (Jess) Hayes, Denver, CO and Shirley (John) Hamby, Billings, MT and one brother-in-law, Morris (Delphine) Hoenke, Plevna, MT. She is preceded in death by her parents, Mervin and Emilie, her brother, Harry Young and her three sisters, Bonnie Emerson, Florence Fursteneau and Shirley Heyde, and her brother-in-law and sister-in-law Albert and Florence Quenzer.


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Burial Date: October 25, 2006
Funeral Home Baker, MT

Funeral Service: American Lutheran Church, Bake