Ruth S. Schultz, age 95, passed away Friday, May 9,2025 after a fall and a brief hospital stay. A celebration of Ruth’s life will be held on Monday, June 30th, at Lakewood Cemetery’s Memorial Chapel, 3600 Hennepin Avenue South, Minneapolis. Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m., followed by a funeral Mass at 10:00 a.m., officiated by Father Joseph Gillespie. A luncheon will follow at the Lakewood Garden Mausoleum.

Ruth Sylvia (Bakken) Schultz was born on August 17, 1929, in Albert Lea, Minnesota, to Mabel Josephine (née Jellum) and Tinius Leroy Bakken. As a child, Ruth recalled eating mayonnaise sandwiches, picking up coal along the railroad tracks, and being sent home early from Lutheran summer camp after children began developing polio.

After graduating from Albert Lea High School, Ruth worked at Wilson’s in Albert Lea and for insurance companies in Minneapolis. Living in South Minneapolis with her friend Lois Ewan, four other girls, and one bathroom, she fondly remembered walking through Loring Park to the Gay 90s and attending Christian revival shows on Lake Street.

Ruth married Raphael W. Schultz on January 29, 1955, after converting to Catholicism, studying with the Paulist Fathers at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Minneapolis. She worked alongside her husband in farming for over 50 years in Wells, Minnesota. Embracing small-town life, Ruth enjoyed her work as a typesetter for the Wells Mirror newspaper and as a cook and waitress in the Del Monte Canteen.

Her social life was lively and filled with card games, New Year’s Eve parties, Tupperware gatherings, and snowmobiling to dances at the Golden Bubble. She and Raphael also traveled on O’s Gold seed corn-sponsored trips to places like Tangier, Morocco and Cartagena, Colombia.

A true adventurer, Ruth traveled in the 1950s by bus and train with her high school friend Carmen Hoium to Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, where they saw Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis filming a movie and caught a roller derby match. Later, she and her family traveled extensively across the United States and the world, visiting every inhabited continent. Among her favorite destinations were Australia, Iceland, Japan, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. At age 95, this globetrotter still had a valid passport, TSA PreCheck, and dreams of new adventures.

Proudly 100% Norwegian, Ruth loved starting her day with a cup of black coffee. Her maternal grandmother Ragnhild Lohner was sent alone by ship to America, and her mother Mabel wrote letters in Norwegian to family in Telemark and Oslo. Meeting those relatives and visiting where her grandmother was born in Norway were treasured memories for Ruth and her family.

Ruth never liked to sit still—always ready to go out for coffee, visit Lake Harriet’s bandshell to listen to music, see a play, go to church, browse a store, or attend garden club events and tours. Her favorite pastime was thrift shopping—finding the thing she didn’t know she needed until she found it, whether in Albert Lea, Honolulu, or Shanghai, China. Her children enjoyed joining her in the hunt. Ruth was looking forward to planting her flower pots and putting out all her garden ornaments this spring.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Raphael W. Schultz, and her daughter, Nancy R. Schultz. Ruth is survived by her daughter Brenda K. Schultz (Minneapolis) and her son Paul R. Schultz (Salt Lake City).

The family would like to thank neighbors Mike and Meleah for assisting Ruth after she fell, and the staff of the Emergency Department and Medical ICU 1 at Hennepin County Medical Center for their excellent care and expertise, including Dr. Sydney Hansen, RN Kyle, Dr. James Leatherman, Dr. Safia Ali, RN Mike, and RN Natasha.

Donations in Ruth’s memory may be made to:
University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center
St. Casimir’s School in Wells

Ruth was a wonderful wife, mother and a dear friend to many. We will hold you in our memories and in our hearts.