Ruth Wheeler: 1913-2004
Saturday, February 14, 2004
Longtime Routt County resident Ruth Wheeler died Feb. 5, 2004, in New Castle, Wyo. She was 90.
Ruth was born April 28, 1913, in Steamboat Springs. She was the youngest daughter of Samuel Addison and Lulu Vietz Keller, pioneer ranchers in the Elk River Valley.
Ruth received her elementary schooling in rural schools in Routt County and graduated from Steamboat Springs High School. She received her teaching certificate from Colorado Teachers College in Greeley, now known as the University of Northern Colorado. Ruth taught in Routt County's rural schools until she learned she was expecting her first daughter.
She married Clarence Wheeler on Sept. 15, 1935, in Craig. They lived on rental properties until they purchased the Charles Reister ranch on Slate Creek, about three miles northwest of Steamboat.
After the death of Clarence's father, they moved to the lower Elk River, where they made their home until ill health forced them to move where they could be cared for by their daughter, Gladys Matney.
Ruth was preceded in death by her sister, Edna; her brothers, Lee and William; and her son, Chester.
She is survived by her husband, Clarence; two daughters, Gladys Matney of Lusk, Wyo., and Clare Peek of Steamboat; three grandsons and three great-grandchildren.
Ruth will be remembered as a loving mother, a hard-working helpmate to her husband of 68 years and a tenderhearted neighbor.
Services were held Feb. 11, 2004, at the Yampa Valley Funeral Home in Steamboat.
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