Ruth Scherer

Ruth at age 97 passed away on January 3, 2023 at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. Ruth is survived by her daughter, Illeane Podolski (husband Stan), grandsons Lee Podolski (wife Sarah), Grant Podolski (husband Kevin Tucker), sister Elinore Schubert (husband Bill), great grandchildren Henry Podolski and Ava Podolski, nieces Diane Hurd (husband Floyd), Pat Blatt (husband Joel) and Karen Spader (husband Ron). Ruth was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1925. She graduated from Beaumont High School in St. Louis. Her favorite sports were softball and swimming. She played softball most days after school. As a child she played kick ball, board games and hide and seek with her neighborhood friends. She always knew when it was time to go home when the gas street lamps were lit by the "lamp lighters." Her favorite subject was English and would always let you know when you were using incorrect grammer. She lived through the Great Depression, ice boxes for refrigerators, and movies that were ten cents with two cartoons. Her mother Florence was a homemaker and her father Dan worked for the railroad, which allowed her to take free train trips to Pensacola, Florida during high school to visit a childhood friend and family. This is where Ruth fell in love with the white sand and hot weather of Florida. Always a hard worker and thrifty she worked in a dime store to save money for her yearly trips. When WWII broke out she was nineteen and wanting to help her country, Ruth took a course in rivetting and building tail systems for bombers for the WWII war effort. She was always patriotic, a very independent woman and knew her mind. After meeting her future husband, Edward Scherer, through mutual friends they married in St. Louis in 1947 two years after his return from fighting in World War II in Italy. Ruth was a cost accountant for the Kroger Company for thirty years until she retired in 1988. Ed was an automotive appraiser for AAA of Missouri and a repairman, kiln builder for her pottery hobby and all around DIY'er. She took pottery lessons to fill up her time in the cold winters in St. Louis. Becoming very skilled at her craft in the basement of their home with pottery dust flying everywhere most weekends, she was accepted into many juried shows winning first place ribbons in St. Louis as well as Florida where they retired in 1988. Moving to Oviedo, Florida in 1988 finally fulfilled Ruth's life long dream of having the Florida sand between her toes not just once a year but almost everyday. Ed would stay behind on most beach days making his favorite recipes, fighting fire ants, banana spiders, spraying for fleas for their cat, clearing and cutting bermuda grass, plumbing maintenance, etc, etc. on their 2 acres of "heaven." When Ed passed away, Ruth moved to New Smyrna Beach, Florida four blocks from the ocean. In 2013 she moved to Fort Collins, Colorado to MacKenzie Place to be near her daughter Illeane and son in law Stan. She made many dear friends at MacKenzie Place, Collinwood Assisted Living and finally at Lemay Avenue Health and Rehab. Ruth was always ready to enjoy a game of Texas Holdem or dominoes, lunch outings or an afternoon cocktail with her friends. Along with her scotch, chocolate, quick wit, faith in God, sharp mind, thriftiness, family and friends she made it to 97.years of age. Mass of Christian Burial at St. Joseph's Catholic Church will be held at 9:30 AM with visitation a 8:30 AM on Monday, January 9, 2023. Interment will be held privately following Mass. Donations may be made in Ruth's name to St. Joseph's Catholic Church or to a charity of your choice.