Ruth V. Skuggen's Obituary
Ruth Skuggen, age 94, of Skanee, passed away on Sunday morning at Bayside Village on September 27th of 2015. She will be greatly missed by everyone who knew and loved her, but those closest to her take comfort in knowing that she is now reunited with her husband, Clarence Skuggen, in heaven.
On February 3, 1921 Mildred and Arvid Hurulin welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Ruth Virginia Hurulin, into this world. Although she was born in Portland, Oregon staying there was not her destiny. Job opportunity called this small family to town. Her father took a job working for Ford in Pequaming, Michigan and her mother became a mid-wife. Upper Michigan was where Ruth was meant to be. During her youth, she spent her summers on Big Traverse Bay at the Nordstrom family cabin. She was an only child so she spent a lot of time with her cousin Betty playing outdoors and swimming in the lake. Ruth attended L’Anse High School and graduated on June 12, 1936. It was in high school that she met the young man with whom she would spend over 50 years of her life with. She married Clarence Skuggen and became Ruth Virginia Skuggen on October 23rd, 1938, in Chassell.
The young couple remained in L’Anse for a few years while Clarence took a job working for Ford Motor Company. Clarence’s true calling was the water though, and so he took a job sailing on the Great Lakes for The Wilson Marine Company. This was tough on the family, being that Clarence had to be away for most of the year, so the job of raising their three daughters was mainly Ruth’s responsibility. Being a mother was Ruth’s true calling and she took great pride in taking care of her children and her home. After 35 years of sailing, Clarence retired in 1975 and spent his remaining years with Ruth on Huron Bay in Skanee. They enjoyed having friends over and had many family holiday gatherings on the lake. Ruth loved to cook and entertain. She was well known for her homemade rye bread and sweet cardamom bread.
Ruth passed her love of family and of family traditions onto her children, and it is through her children that her very small family has grown into a very large one. Ruth’s family tree branches include three daughters, ten grandchildren, and twenty-one great grandchildren.
Ruth’s surviving family members are her daughters, Greta Rosebrook of Cheyboygan, Chris (Wayne) Kangas of De Witt and Lisa (Bela) Lanczy of L’Anse; ten grandchildren and twenty-one great grand children. She is preceded in death by her parents, Arvid and Mildred Hurulin, her husband, Clarence Skuggen, and her grandson Tommy Kangas.
A funeral service for Ruth was held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, October 7, 2015 at the Reid Funeral Service and Chapel with Pastor Judy Mattson officiating. The family greeted friends at the funeral chapel on Wednesday from 1 p.m. until the time of the funeral service. An Eastern Star service was held at 1:30 p.m. Immediately following the funeral service, the family invited friends to join them for fellowship and a luncheon in the Harrington Gathering Room, located at the funeral chapel. Interment took place in the L’Anse Evergreen Cemetery.
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