Ruth Holm

RUTH HOLM

Cedar Rapids

Our Lord called Ruth Holm to Him on Thursday, May 7, 2015, following a brief illness. Services will be at First Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids on Monday, May 11, at 11 a.m. The family will greet friends before the service from 10 to 11 a.m., and a reception will follow the service.

Ruth was born Jan. 22, 1931, in Blue Island, Ill., to parents Otto and Matilda (May) Arens. After graduating from Blue Island Community High School (now Eisenhower High School), she started working at Commonwealth Edison. As a bridesmaid in her brother Ralph's wedding in the fall of 1952, she met the dashing best man, Fred Holm. After three months of trading letters and visits to her parents' house, Fred proposed; they were married on June 6, 1953. Their first home was in a small apartment in Marion and they then built a house in the Glenbrook Cove neighborhood of Cedar Rapids, where they stayed to raise their family.

Ruth always gave of herself and put others' needs ahead of her own. She always helped her family appreciate that what we had growing up was enough, and she always richly shared God's blessings. Her children are blessed with the loving home they grew up in and the examples Ruth set in deeds and words.

Ruth loved to sew, garden, birdwatch and travel, even dragging Fred on a whitewater rafting trip in their later years, and then taking an Alaskan cruise. She collected wildlife and natural art, and was always sharing what she knew of flowers and birds, and caring for creatures every winter by ensuring full feeders in the back yard. Ruth also loved baking – her kitchen counter was the birthplace of many a delicious rhubarb pie. Her love of reading and knowing what was going on in the world coupled with her love for her family meant she often had information, articles and other tidbits to mail to her kids. Ruth's incredible sense of humor was evident up through her last days.

While Ruth's favorite job of raising her kids kept her busy for many years, she also had periods of employment with Collins (Rockwell), Turner Microphone, Harding Junior High School and Cedar Rapids Consumer Credit Counseling.

She was a member of First Lutheran Church and spent countless hours as a volunteer before being confined by health issues. She volunteered as a Girl Scout leader, was a longstanding member in PEO, Fourscore and various bridge groups, and also participated in various other social and political activities, such as the 2008 Iowa caucus.

Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, Fred A. Holm; parents, Otto and Matilda Arens; and brother, Ralph Arens.

She is survived by her sister, Doris Woods (husband Clarence); son, Scott Holm (wife Kera, grandson Miles and his wife, Kaitlin) of Fresno, Calif.; son, Steve of Phoenix, Ariz.; daughter, Janice (and Michael Malone) of Cedar Rapids; daughter, Judy (husband Jim, grandchildren, Will and Audrey) of Homer Glen, Ill.; sisters-in-law, Marian Arens and Bonnie Mills; a large extended family; and many, many friends.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Luke's Hospice or First Lutheran Church.

Online condolences for Ruth's family may be left at www.cedar memorial.com under "obituaries."