Ruth Ann Blum

MADISON– Ruth Ann Blum, age 71, died on Friday, Nov. 20, 2015 in Madison. She was born Jan. 19, 1944, in Defiance, Ohio to Jerome and Ethel (Batt) Moser. Ruth Ann grew up in Defiance, the second youngest of eight siblings. She graduated from Defiance High School and immediately began preparing for a lifelong career in nursing by attending St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing (Class of 1966). Soon after graduation, Ruth Ann moved to Madison, to marry Joseph Blum. Together they started a family that included three children. Although they would later divorce, Joe and Ruth Ann remained friends and enjoyed watching their kids and grandkids grow. Ruth Ann's nursing career began at St Mary's Hospital in Madison, on the old "3NW" floor, tending to post-surgery ICU patients. Later, she would devote a majority of her career caring for those in skilled nursing care facilities, kindly handling some of our most vulnerable patients. After nearly 40 years of care-giving, Ruth Ann retired, but certainly stayed busy tracking the whereabouts of her eight grandchildren. She loved hopping in the car and driving two hours to help babysit, if that's all it took to get to see them. Ruth Ann enjoyed other talents too. She loved to cook meals from scratch: many holiday celebrations started days in advance with the preparation of the feast, including baking bread dry in the oven to start making her turkey stuffing (everything from scratch!). One of our favorite Christmas traditions is Nana Ru surrounded by her grandkids as they made Christmas sugar cookies fully decorated with various colors of frosting, an endless supply of sprinkles and red hots to top the cookies, and flour everywhere. Finally, because military service was abundant in Ruth Ann's family, she gave to and supported many Veteran-based organizations. Faith and family drove Ruth Ann. She started every day praying the Rosary. Ruth Ann so enjoyed going home to Indiana and Ohio to visit her mother, siblings, nieces and nephews. Many July 4th celebrations were had on Lake Michigan in New Buffalo, Mich., hosted by her sister Mary Ellen. Ruth Ann had just finalized plans for another trip to Fort Wayne, Ind., to celebrate Thanksgiving. To this day, it is amazing the friendships and love within that family. Ruth Ann is survived by three children, Greg (Di) Blum of Madison, Pete (Michelle) Blum of Necedah and Leslie (Kurt) Haverland of Madison; eight grandchildren, Grethe, Noah, Maddie, Maria, Courtney, Faustina, Josie and Piper; brother, Gerald Moser of Van Wert, Ohio; sister, Mildred "Toots" (James) Hall of Fort Wayne, Ind. She is further survived by many beloved nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Richard, John and Mike Moser; and sisters, Mary Ellen Lang and Marilyn Moser (in infancy). The family invites friends to share in a memorial service to celebrate Nana Ru's life. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at ST. BERNARD CATHOLIC CHURCH, 2450 Atwood Ave., Madison, at 11 a.m., on Monday, Nov. 30, 2015, with Father Michael Radowicz presiding. The family will be welcoming friends on Monday, at the church, from 9 a.m. until the time of the Mass. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Ruth Ann Blum's name be made to either St Jude Children's Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN, 38105; or, Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson East Funeral & Cremation Care 5203 Monona Drive (608)221-5420