Ruth Collins passed away on June 1, 2019, at the age of 97 years.
Ruth was born in Linn County, Mo., to Alphe Edward Siegrist and Theo Allie Fell.
Ruth will be remembered lovingly and is survived by her siblings: Theo Botts of Columbia, Mo.; Jean Novak of Scottsdale, Az.; and Don Siegrist of Englewood, Fla.; by her step-children: Neil (Lynda) Collins and Patricia (Richard) Golomb; by her grandchildren: Julie (Allen) Dixon, Russell (Kelly) Collins, Jacqueline (Jeffrey) Swisher, Gregory (Melissa) Golomb, and Kerrie (Brien) Davis; by 15 great grandchildren, many nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and great friends. Harold Collins, her beloved husband of 50 years, pre-deceased her, as well as her sister JoAn Myers, her parents, and her step-mother Beth Siegrist.
A graduate of Meadville High School, Ruth started her 28-year teaching career in a one-room schoolhouse in rural Missouri and continued teaching in Linn County, Mo., for several years. Each summer she took classes through Northwest Missouri State Teachers College, was elected president of a business education honorary, and earned her full teaching degree in 1945. She then moved briefly to Kansas City where she did office work before moving to Chicago, where she returned to teaching and pursued a graduate degree.
In 1951, she received her MBA from the University of Chicago and focused her teaching career on business education courses at Proviso East High School in Maywood, Ill., through 1969.
Following her retirement from Proviso, Ruth and Harold moved to McHenry, Ill., where they lived through 1987 before moving to Columbia. Ruth and Harold lived in a single-family home at Lenoir Woods for many years, with Ruth moving to Bradford Manor in the last few years. Ruth was one of the longest-term residents at Lenoir and enjoyed all that Columbia and Lenoir had to offer. For many years, she was an active member of the Missouri United Methodist Church in Columbia.
A memorial service was held in the Chapel at Lenoir Woods in Columbia on June 17, 2019. Funeral services will be at Roberson Funeral Home in Bethany, Mo., on June 22, 2019, with a visitation at 10 a.m. and a service beginning at 11 a.m. Burial will follow in Kidwell Cemetery, Martinsville, Mo. Memorials may be directed to the Missouri United Methodist Church in Columbia, Missouri. Online condolences may be left at www.robersonfuneralhome.com