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- Erna (Ernie) E. Rutten, age 89, passed away on May 31, 2018 at Cloverlodge Care Center in St. Edward, NE.
Ernie donated her body to science so there will be no funeral which is fitting as she never attended funerals unless she had to and always said she wasnt going to attend her own either. A Memorial gathering of family and friends will be held at the St. John Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 8, 2018.
Ernie Rutten was born on February 27, 1929 in Sheridan County, Nebraska, to Fred and Anna (Dreyer) Zillinger. She grew up and attended school in the sand hills near Rushville, NE, before the family moved to the Cedar Rapids, NE area. She attended and graduated from Cedar Rapids High School.
On January 21, 1950 she was united in marriage with Charles Chic Rutten by the Justice of Peace in Albion, NE. Theirs was the first wedding presided over by Judge Berthleson. To this union five children were born: David, Sam, Ben, Kim, Jay. They moved around a lot during their first years together living in Toledo, Ohio; Wayne, Carrol, Rushville, and Gordon, all in Nebraska. They then settled near Cedar Rapids in 1952 to raise their family.
Ernie raised her family to appreciate God, wildlife, outdoors, and hard work. She held many jobs over the years while her children were in school. Ernie and several other local ladies traveled to Columbus every winter to work in the various manufacturing companies and then took the summers off to be home with her children and raise a large garden and several hundred broiler chickens. She canned, froze, and preserved food for the winter months. She also worked as a bartender for many years at Jim & Marys Bar (Shickels) and L & S Tavern (Lucys) as well as at Bettys Ice Cream Shop one summer. She was a long-time member of the Twilight Bunko Club.
God, Faith, and Church were important to Ernie. As a long-time member of St. John Lutheran Church she served as Sunday School Superintendent, Sunday School Teacher, Ladies Aid President, Ladies Aid Secretary, and Ladies Aid Mission Person. She helped with communion care and church cleaning, always offering to wax the floors under the pews.
Ernies pets were a big part of her life. Over the years she always had a dog, several cats, chickens, geese, cows, guineas, and more. She spent her winter months working on home-made pieced quilts that she gave away, and crocheted many blankets and doilies. Her green thumb helped her raise beautiful houseplants with violets of many colors being her favorites. Ernie continued to live at her home near Cedar Rapids surrounded by her family and pets up until two weeks prior to her passing into the Lords caring arms to find her eternal rest.
Those left to cherish Ernies memory include: son Sam Rutten and friend Janet Moody of Belgrade; son Ben Rutten and fiancée Doris Kolm of Cedar Rapids; daughter Kim Schilousky and husband Dan of Cedar Rapids; son Jay Rutten and wife Sylvia of Cedar Rapids; daughter-in-law Carman (David) Rutten of York; sisters Helen Cook and Marianne Karmann of Albion; brothers and sisters-in-law Bob Watts Sr., Ray and Barb Rutten, Veronica Pfeifer, and Marlene Wilson; 14 grandchildren, 30 great grandchildren, 3 great-great grandchildren, many nieces, nephews, and friends.
She was preceded by: her parents; husband Chic; son David; grandson Toma Rutten; brother David Zillinger; sister Wilma Boyd Lovell; sisters in-law Phyllis Zillinger, Georgie Robinson, Rita Watts, Donna Rutten, Rose Rutten, and Angela Koziol; brothers-in-law Gerald Cook, Johnnie Boyd, Duane Karmann, Don Lovell, Paul Pfeifer, Maurice Rutten, Mark Rutten, Orville Robinson, Bill Wilson, Leo Koziol, Harold Pfeifer.
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1929 - 2018 (89 years)
