Ruth Hunter • 1924 - 2011

Ruth Hunter, a resident of Keystone Bluffs Assisted Living in Duluth, MN, and longtime resident of Minot, ND, died on Jan. 15, 2011, in St. Luke’s Hospice. She spent her 86 years as a generous and valued daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, and employee.

She was born Ruth Catherine Walker on Oct. 26, 1924, the second child of Clarence and Anna Antoinette (Ellingson) Walker in Minot, North Dakota. Ruth worked hard all of her life. A thoughtful planner, she saw to it that she had the knowhow and tools to effectively complete what she needed to do. As the oldest daughter in a family with ten children, she had many duties at home. She began working away from home at the age of 14, helping a dairy farm family after the birth of a child. With her brothers and sisters, she graduated from Minot Model High School and made many lifelong friends there. One of her dearest possessions was her Minot Model Alumni jacket, which her friends at Keystone Bluffs saw her wearing often. It made her feel connected to home and prompted many conversations about other people’s connections to Minot. This helped her make new friends after she came to Duluth in 2008 to be closer to her daughter.

Ruth worked for Swift and Company, Northwestern Bell, and the Great Northern Railway (later Burlington Northern) in Minot. During World War Two, she went to work at the Boeing aircraft plant in Seattle, after the company sent recruiters to Minot. She installed components inside the fuselages of bombers and was not a riveter, but she was one of many “Rosies” who went to work in the defense industry. She also worked as a switchboard operator, messenger, and eventually the first woman train dispatcher for the Burlington Northern in Minot, at the automated Gavin Yards switching facility.
In capsulizing any life, we risk leaving out much. Friends and family will remember Ruth’s volunteer work with Girl Scouts, the church, and elsewhere; her needlework, gardening, singing, and whistling; her homemaking, cooking, and talent for bringing flowers into a house; her gentle touch and special way with children; her kindness to strangers; her patriotism and lifetime membership in the VFW Auxiliary; her lifelong commitment to labor unions and progressive politics; and so much more.

Ruth died just three day(s) after what would have been her 62nd wedding anniversary. Her husband, Everett Hunter, preceded her in 2004. She leaves behind her daughter, Dianna Hunter (Deb Anderson), of Duluth; siblings Art (Patsy) Walker, Dick (Donna) Walker, Jim (Eileen) Walker, Chuck (Diane) Walker, Carol Haberlack, and Gini (Frank) Durant; special niece Anne (Greg) Jones; step-granddaughter, Laura (Kelly) Waswick; step great-grandchildren Tyler Hunter and Samantha Waswick; daughter-in-law, Barb Hunter of Minot; special friend Pac Briglia; and many other loving family members and friends. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her stepson David Hunter, and her siblings Kenneth (Solveig) Walker, Louise (Dale) Thompson, and Clinton Walker.

Ruth’s family appreciates the professional and compassionate staff at St. Luke’s Hospital and Hospice, Keystone Bluffs, and Viewcrest Health Center, Duluth, and Brentmoor of Minot—all of whom helped immensely these past few years.

Burial and celebration of Ruth’s life will take place in Minot in the spring.

Memorials are preferred to the Women’s Health Center, Duluth, and Vincent United Methodist Church, Minot.

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