Papritz, Ruth Olive

Ruth Olive Papritz, 97, of Williamsburg, died Sept. 29, 2009, at Highland Ridge Care Center in Williamsburg.

She was born Jan. 26, 1912, in Low Moor, Iowa, a daughter of Frank and Helen Dannatt Conover. Ruth was a 1929 graduate of Clinton (Iowa) High School and attended Cornell College in Mount Vernon, where she obtained a teaching certificate. She taught in a one-room country school in the Low Moor area for four years. Ruth married Frank A. Papritz of Akron, Iowa on Nov. 9, 1935, in Des Moines. In 1936, they moved to Culver City, Calif., where their two children were born. After World War II, they returned to Iowa and settled in Williamsburg, where a Maytag appliance dealership was available. She worked as a bookkeeper in the family-owned Maytag store until she and her husband retired in 1966.

Ruth was a member of St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Williamsburg for over 50 years. She enjoyed genealogy, crossword puzzles, reading, birds, shelling on Florida beaches and the Chicago Cubs. During retirement, Ruth volunteered at the Williamsburg Public Library and she and her husband traveled to all 50 states in their Avion trailer, making many friends along the way.

She is survived by a daughter, Linda Papritz Orff and husband Robert of Crofton, Md.; daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Sears Papritz of Clinton; five grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Ruth was preceded in death by her sister, Jane; parents; husband; and son, Frank Richard.

A memorial service will be Nov. 25 at 11 a.m. at St. Paul's Methodist Church, Williamsburg, with lunch to follow. Interment in Oak Hill Cemetery thereafter is for family only.

A memorial fund has been established for the Williamsburg Public Library, P.O. Box 48, Williamsburg, IA 52361. Condolences may be left at under obituaries.