Ruth Koch

RUTH LILLIAN EASTERDAY KOCH 1914 - 2013

Ruth Lillian Easterday Koch, 99, died November 23, 2013 at St. Luke's Magic Valley Regional Medical Center following injuries resulting from a fall.

Ruth was born March 28, 1914 on her grandfather Easterday's homestead west of Eustis, Nebraska. She was the first child and only daughter of Alvin and Lillian Easterday. Seven brothers followed; she loved them all dearly, but Mom was the boss and the boys all knew it!
Mom met her best friend and lifetime sweetheart, Fred W. Koch, when she was three days old and he was 6 months. They were married on February 28, 1935 in her parents farmhouse near Eustis. They had one daughter, Norma Jean, and were married for 70 years.

Fred, Ruth and their baby daughter moved to a farm near Castleford in January 1938 to escape the ravages of the dust-bowl and drought of the 1930's. They moved on an immigrant train with Mom's brother, Ervin, riding in the box car to tend the cattle and chickens. Life on the farm those first few years was hard. Mom raised every kind of animal and fowl that could be sold for a few extra dollars. She always had a huge vegetable garden and canned bushels and bushels of produce every year. You never went hungry in Mom's house!

In spite of working in the garden, tending to chickens, calves, lambs, pigs, geese, milking cows by hand, chasing after a busy little girl, and taking care of Dad, Mom always had time to tend her flower gardens. Flowers were a joy to Mom. She raised them until she broke a hip and could no longer use a shovel. She loved receiving a bouquet of fresh flowers every month from a grandson during the last two years of her life.

During her life on the farm, Mom was active in the Castleford community. If a neighbor was sick or having a baby, she was there to help. If a garden needed tending to, she was there to help. If the cows needed milking, she would do that too, even though she hated milking cows. Mom found time for Grange, flower club, square dancing and church. Since there wasn't a pianist for church services, she learned to play piano at the age of 45. In later years after Dad retired from farming and they moved to Buhl, she found time to do other things like volunteering at the hospital and learning to ride the bicycle Dad gave her for her 73 birthday. They spent many happy winters traveling from place to place in Arizona and California, until it became to difficult for both of them.

Ruth's parents, her husband, Fred; four brothers, Marvin, Ervin, Donald and LaVern; and three nephews preceded her in death.

She is survived by her daughter, Norma (Ron) Kofoed of Buhl; three grandchildren, John (Sandy) VanDerWalker, Hayden, Idaho; Scott VanDerWalker, Buhl; and Andrea Kokes, Buhl; seven great-granddaughters and one great-great-granddaughter. She is also survived by three brothers, Lenard (Lorene) Easterday, Buhl; Ray (Lova) Easterday, Hagerman; and Danny (Diane) Easterday, Eustis, Nebraska; and 28 nieces and nephews.
Ruth is also survived by her very special family, the Rettigs of St. Louis, MO and Hot Springs Village, Arkansas.

Friends and family may call from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, November 29, 2013 at Farmer Funeral Chapel, Buhl. A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, November 30, 2013 at the Buhl Community of Christ, (20264 Highway 30), with John VanDerWalker officiating.

Donations may be made to Outreach International (129 W. Lexington Ave. Independence, MO. 64050)