Ruth Lynnette Hoth

SUN CITY - Ruth Lynnette Hoth gently passed away in her Arizona snowbird residence Jun. 16, after a wonderful life of outdoor adventures, love and family. After five years without the love of her life, Carl, she was ready to leave this world. Ruth is survived by her three sons, Ed (Shelly), Chip (Julie) and Don; daughter, Peggy (Jim); along with five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Born Ruth Lynnette Harris, Mar. 14, 1924, in Grand Forks, N.D., Ruth was raised in Madison, Wisc. Ruth graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a science degree in Home Economics in 1945. While there she met the handsome, dashing college student and her future husband, Carl. Carl had a degree in mechanical engineering, and Ruth's family approved. Carl went off to serve in WWII and when it was over, Ruth and Carl married a week after he got home. The kids came quickly after that, and Ruth applied her education to raising them. She cooked and gardened, providing wholesome food and loving support to her family. On weekends they would escape to the great outdoors. Camping in a tent and "roughing it" was far more desirable than any RV or deluxe hotel. The kids learned to canoe, hunt, fish and how to be resourceful, starting as toddlers. Ruth was an excellent seamstress and made clothes for the whole family. Her matching his-her square dance outfits were spectacular. Ruth and Carl moved to Bellingham in 1970 and for 41 years together there, they explored the hiking trails, hunting and canoe areas with friends, many of them made through the Mount Baker Hiking Club. After they had a snowbird retirement home in Arizona, Ruth added hiking with the Sun City Hikers and the Willowbrook Methodist Church Hiking club. In Bellingham, in between the outdoor excursions, Carl worked for Georgia Pacific as an engineer and both were active with the Methodist church. Back in the '80's they volunteered their considerable architectural skills to help remodel the Garden Street Methodist church's kitchen and altar area. Ruth found joy in the details of life and would investigate or research any topic that came up. Whether it was the call of a loon, or the whoosh of a startled deer, she loved to imitate the sounds of the woods. The hiker in her could never be suppressed. During the latter part of her life, even with her intense and chronic back pain she still always wanted to see what was on the other side of the mountain. A service and reception, honoring both Carl and Ruth, will be held at 10 a.m., Oct. 28, at the Willowbrook Methodist Church, Sun City.