Ruth Gleason

Ruth Gleason, age 74, of Milbank, SD, passed away on Friday, June 23, 2023, at Avera McKennan in Sioux Falls, SD.

Memorial services will be held on Friday, June 30, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at Valley Baptist Church in Milbank, SD. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday. Pastor Brian McFaden will officiate the service.

The service will be livestreamed and recorded and will be viewable at the bottom of Ruth’s obituary page at www.mundwilerfuneralhome.net.

Ruth Lee Gleason was born on January 6, 1949, in Fremont, MI, to Otis and Ruth (Bayle) Gleason. She grew up in the Volney, MI, area where she attended country school through eighth grade. Ruth then attended high school in Walkerville, MI, where she graduated with the Class of 1967.

Following high school, Ruth moved to the Twin Cities area and worked as a secretary. She met Arnold Gleason and the two were married in St. Paul, MN. The two lived in St. Paul for a short time before moving to Summit, SD. Ruth and Arnold were blessed with three children. They later divorced in 1986.

In 1990, Ruth and her son, Craig, moved to Milbank, SD. The other two children were grown and onto their own adventures. Ruth worked at St. William’s Care Center initially, in the Dietary Department, and finished in the Human Resources Department before retiring in April of 2020 after 30 years.

Ruth was a part of every community she lived in. She was a member of Valley Baptist Church in Milbank and a member of Volney Community Church in Michigan. Ruth was also a life member of the Milbank VFW and served as the church treasurer for 15 years at Valley Baptist.

In her younger years, Ruth enjoyed fishing (but not cleaning the fish) and had fond memories of sledding parties with her cousins hosted by her aunt. She loved to crochet, read books, and do word searches. Her grandchildren were her greatest joy and she loved seeing them and going to their programs and activities. Ruth was an avid researcher and genealogist, tracing her family all the way back to the Mayflower! She also liked to travel, taking several trips to Denver and back to Michigan to visit her family.

Left to cherish Ruth’s memory are her children: Robert (Victoria) Gleason of Summit, SD; Ruth (Bill) Roth of Denver, CO; and Craig (Holly) Gleason of Eagan, MN; grandchildren: Aspen Gleason, Caleb Gleason, and Bennett Gleason; brothers: Bruce (Rebecca) Gleason of Bitely, MI; and Glen Gleason of Hart, MI; along with many nieces and nephews.

Preceding her in death were her parents, Otis and Ruth Gleason; and sister-in-law, Sally Gleason.

Please send all memorials to: It Only Takes A Spark Cancer Walk. P.O. Box 105, Milbank, SD 57252 or online at How To Help | It Only Takes A Spark