Baker City, Oregon
Ruth Stehwien, 89, of Baker City, died March 12, 2003, at her home.
Her memorial service and a celebration of her life will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Calvary Baptist Church at Third and Broadway streets. Pastor Ed Niswender of the church will officiate. There will be a reception afterward at the Calvary Baptist Church Fellowship Hall.
Visitations will be from 9 a.m. to noon at the Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St.
Mrs. Stehwien was born June 24, 1913, at Rockville, Mo., to Emma and Isaac Everson. She attended school at Humansville, Mo.
She married Otto Stehwien on Nov. 25, 1931, at Rockville, Mo. They moved from Missouri to Oregon in 1942 and then to Washington until settling at Priest River, Idaho, in 1945.
They had been married for 43 years when Otto died. Ruth moved to Baker City with her sons and their families in 1977 to be near her sister and brother. She remained in Baker City until her death. Ruth was a very loving and dedicated wife and mother. Everyone who knew her remembers her as a woman with a very caring and giving spirit.
Mrs. Stehwien attended Calvary Baptist Church for several years until her health declined. She loved the Lord and spent many years doing the Lord’s work.
Ruth spent numerous hours at the quilting frame with her sister, Bertha Simrell, and good friend, Midge Stellman.
Many people around the world have been recipients of their handiwork including many local families who lost their homes to fire. She was a faithful member of the church mission circle and spent many hours rolling bandages for missionary hospitals and making lap robes for nursing homes and shut-ins.
Survivors include daughters, Wanda King of Baker City, Winona Sunderman and her husband, Gilbert of Clarinda, Iowa, and Willa Benjamins and her husband, Jonas of Sequim, Wash.; sons, Wesley Stehwien of Baker City and Warren Stehwien and his wife, Melody, of Sparks, Nev.; a brother, Roy Everson and his wife, LaJeanne of Baker City; 13 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Otto; a son, Wendell; a sister, Bertha Simrell; and three brothers, John, Clarence and Paul Everson.
Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice or the Calvary Baptist Church Building Fund through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR, 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, March 24, 2003
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor