Ruth Carol Lewis

The Story of Ruth

Ruth Lewis was born Ruth Carol Liggett on September 30, 1949 in Alliance, Nebraska. She grew up in a family of ranchers and attended a one room schoolhouse on the prairie without running water or electricity from first through eighth grade, several times she was the only student in her grade. When she moved on to the local high school, the girls were not allowed to select their own classes. She wanted to study history but was instead assigned every home economics class to prepare her for a life as a Nebraska farmer's wife.

She promptly left Nebraska after graduation to attend nursing school at the University of Iowa. Here she met instructor Joanne Hunt, who would become her lifelong mentor, best friend, and surrogate grandmother to her children. Following the sudden death of her father, Ruth followed Joanne to Denver, Colorado to begin her career as a registered nurse. Ruth would go on to be an ICU nurse for over thirty years, working long and hard hours to selflessly care for untold thousands of people on their final or worst days. In 1980, while in Denver, she met lawyer Greg Lewis, himself a rural prairie boy from neighboring Kansas, at an ice cream social. He proposed on the third date and they were married for 40 years.

Ruth followed her husband's work to North Dakota, where they had three children, Ben, Kate and Zack, who she loved with her whole heart. After moving to Minnesota in the 90's, Ruth reached a lifelong goal and obtained her BA in History from Bemidji State University, all while working full time night shifts at the local hospital and raising three school aged children. Ruth was a voracious reader and fierce intellect, often reading 2-3 books a week. One of her favorite sayings was, "I may not have seen all the countries of the world, but I've always had a library card!"

In the 2000's she and Greg moved to Lockport NY. It was here she was diagnosed with brain cancer (Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), a condition she would fight for many years, achieving remission twice, and always with her sense of humor intact. The treatments took their toll, however, and she would become disabled for the last years of her life, cared for by her beloved husband. When Greg passed away in 2021, she returned to Minnesota under the dutiful care of her only daughter Kate.

Ruth and Greg never put down permanent roots in their life together. They carried their home in their hearts, in their enduring love for one another. May we all be so lucky.