Birth date: Mar 6, 1931 Death date: Mar 5, 2021
Wilma “Kathleen” Kasper Ruddick March 6, 1931 - March 5, 2021 On the eve of her 90th birthday our beloved mother, Kathleen Ruddick, left her earthly home and flew with the angels to her eternal life in Heaven. A longtime resident Read Obituary
I was so very fortunate to have Kathleen in my life as well as my family. As a matter of fact, she became part of our family. She was a loving, wonderful companion for my grandfather Ben Ryland. I am so happy that they found each other and spent many happy years together. Our lives are better for having Kathleen in it. You will be missed.
Beth Brown
We were telling this story about Kathleen to Kathy Auth and thought it so captured Kathleen’s fun loving, adventurous spirit that we decided to share it here.
Many years ago Kathleen flew down to the Cook Islands and visited us on the tiny island of Aitutaki, where we were spending four months a year. At that time Aitutaki was an undiscovered island with only a handful of tourists at any one time. The small wooden house we were living in had been hand built of coconut wood by a New Zealand man, and was lovely to look out but very rustic. Kathleen was such a good sport about the swarms of nighttime mosquitoes, and having geckos occasionally drop from the ceiling and land on her head or shoulder. There were no rental cars on the island, so we rented a beat up old car from a friend. Every time we would break too fast, or go over a bump on the dirt road, the backseat Kathleen was sitting on would fall backwards so that she was on her back with her feet wiggling in the air. It was a real testimony to her wonderful good spirit that we would all just laugh and laugh when this happened.
She charmed our Cook Island friends. She happily sat on the ground and ate with her hands at a local feast, gamely gave Cook Island dancing a try when she was pulled up in front of the audience after a show, wading in deep water on a sandbar out in the lagoon, etc. We think one of our teenage friends wanted to adopt her as a mom; he loved to come over and play the ukulele for her.
That was Kathleen. Adventurous, fun-loving, and loved by all.
Bob and Gery Ruddick
I first met Kathleen when my father Ben Ryland introduced her to us at a family gathering. From that day on, Kathleen became a welcomed member of our family.
Kathleen filled a lonely space in our father's life that enhanced his quality of life and enriched ours. Kathleen was one of those treasures that life unexpectedly gifts us with.
Karen Ryland Newton
