Ruth Alice Lauman

SERVICES HAVE BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR APRIL 17, 2021.

Ruth Alice Lauman, 83 of Hamburg, Iowa was welcomed home into God’s embrace on February 6, 2020.  Ruth Alice as she was called by her parents, Mabel Koso Lauman and Harry Lauman, was born on January 28, 1937 in Parker, Kansas.   Her parents moved to Hamburg, Iowa where they farmed and ran an orchard for many years.  She was the eldest daughter and sister to Marianne Lauman Smith and Paul Lauman.  

As a teen Ruth enjoyed 4-H and basketball and graduated from Hamburg High School in 1956.   She graduated from Iowa State University with a BS in Food and Nutrition and Related Science    and later received her M.B.A. in Finance from NYU.   For much of her life, Ruth was an urban city dweller, living in New York City for almost thirty-five years.  One of her favorite jobs was as the Food Editor for Ladies Home Journal.  She also worked as an Associate Director at Good Housekeeping Magazine, worked for Salomon Smith Barney, and did freelance work designing presentations for a number of financial services companies later in her career.  

She was the “hostest with the mostest” for anyone who visited.   Ruth was incredibly creative.   For much of her life, she was known for her gourmet cooking and fancy dessert creations which often involved chocolate.  Her avocation was exploring her creativity and she enjoyed attending classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology as well as working with fabrics, exploring photography, and making jewelry, beads, paper and beautiful homemade books.  She was a quiet person and singularly independent.  In 2000 Ruth returned home to Hamburg, Iowa to care for her mother Mabel Lauman whom she loved deeply.  She began a new chapter as the librarian of the Hamburg Public Library which continued for seventeen and a half years.  There she used her creativity to design reading programs for children and her research skills to help people with genealogy and other projects.  She was a member of United Trinity Church, and an active member of Kiwanis and the Fremont County Historical Society.  Ruth sought to serve her community.  

Her family is incredibly grateful to the Mincer family, Dave, Beth, Aaron, Caleb and Elayna for their devoted care for Ruth.  Ruth’s family includes her sister Marianne Smith of Brunswick, ME, her brother Paul Lauman and wife Bonnie of Rolling Meadows, IL; her nieces and nephews and their spouses, Allison, Brendan and Darren Smith, Lori Moskal, Amy Budnick, Billy and Michael Lauman; and her grandnieces and grandnephews, Cecelia, Molly, and Calliope Greenleaf, Sky Smith, Soren and Ewan Bethune Smith, Tyler and Colin Moskal, Ben and Lily Perillo, and Austin, Ethan, and Emily Budnick.  

A Celebration of Life will be held on April 17, 2021 at United Trinity Church in Hamburg at 1:00 p.m.  Inurnment will be at St. Johns Cemetery in Westboro, MO.

Memorials may be given to the United Trinity Church in Hamburg or the Hamburg Public Library.

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