Ruth Harriet Detwiler, 87, of West Unity, went to be with Jesus on August 26, 2019, with her loved ones by her side in the comfort of her home. She had a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s that she handled with an amazing grace that inspired her family.
She was born on March 25, 1932, to Alvin Fred and Vesta (Sonanstine) Lorentz at her family’s farm in Stryker, Ohio. She was a graduate of Stryker High School. She married Rex A. Detwiler on November 3, 1951, at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church in Archbold, OH, and he survives. She was a devoted wife for 67 years. Ruth was a stay at home mother for many years before going to work at Spangler Candy Company, where she retired after 34 dedicated years. Upon retirement, she and her husband enjoyed traveling, spending their winters in Florida, Texas and Arizona.
She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Nothing brought her greater joy than watching her children and grandchildren grow and succeed in life. Ruth had an infectious smile and a twinkle in her beautiful brown eyes that could light up a room. She enjoyed flowers, gardening, jigsaw puzzles, cooking, sewing and dancing.
If “Old Time Rock and Roll” or “Brown Eyed Girl” were playing, she was on the dance floor with her family. She was a lifelong member of St. Martin’s Lutheran Church, Archbold, OH, where she cherished her fellowship with the ladies while sewing blankets for newborns, high school graduates and missions. She was hard working and had a servant’s heart that just kept giving.
Besides her husband, she is survived by six children: Kathy (Douglas) King, Caledonia, MI; Sandra (Lanny) Fleagle, West Unity, OH; Michael Detwiler, West Unity, OH; Vicky (Craig) Preston, Stryker, OH; Michele (Robert) Saylor, Peru, IN; Karen (Rick) Kuney, West Unity, OH; 14 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren with two more great-grandchildren due to arrive in September; sister, Betty (Robert) Flory, Bryan, OH; two brothers, Edward (Betty) Lorentz, Bryan, OH; and Robert (Judy) Lorentz, Bryan, OH. She was preceded in death by her parents, sisters: Mildred Winover, Alice Lorentz, Helen Castor and infant sister Martha Lorentz; brothers: Jake Lorentz and Fred Jr. Lorentz; and twin great-grandchildren, Peyton and Miley Buehrer.
Visitation for Ruth will be held Friday, August 30, 2019, from 3:00 pm until 8:00 pm, in the Fellowship Hall at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church, Archbold, OH. The memorial service will be Saturday, August 31, 2019, at 11:00 am, with viewing starting at 10:00 am, also in the Fellowship Hall at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church. A graveside service will follow with Rev. Paul Reichert officiating.
The family would like to thank all the caregivers, especially Visiting Angels and CHP Hospice, for the compassion, kindness and care extended to Ruth during this difficult journey.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Martin’s Lutheran Church Women in Action or Alzheimer’s Association at act.alz.org. Short Funeral Home in Archbold has been entrusted with the arrangements.
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Our love and condolences to the Detwiler family. I graduated from Stryker with Ruth, remember well her kindness, and always enjoyed our class reunions with her. My wife, Merna often speaks of baby sitting for her and Rex early in their marriage. May God comfort you as you celebrate a beautiful life well lived.