Ruth E King

Funeral Services for Ruth E. King will be conducted from the First United Methodist Church in Holdrege, Nebraska on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. with Reverend Buck Linton-Hendrick, officiating. Interment will be in the Prairie Home Cemetery at Holdrege.

Ruth Emily (Erickson) King, 90 years of age, of Holdrege, passed away on Friday, November 16, 2007 at the Phelps Memorial Health Center in Holdrege. Ruth was born February 27, 1917 at Hordville, Nebraska the fifth of seven children of Victor and Emily (Nicholson) Erickson. As a young girl, Ruth won the Hamilton County spelling contest as an eighth grader and went on to win the Nebraska State Spelling Contest in Lincoln in 1931. In 1935 she graduated from Hordville High School as the valedictorian of her class.

Ruth then attended Nebraska Central College at Central City, Nebraska for two years. She then attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for two years, where she earned a teaching degree in 1939. She also did graduate study at the University of Wyoming.

She began her teaching career in Scribner, Nebraska, where she taught from 1939 to 1941. Then, Ruth moved to Ashland, Nebraska, where she taught senior English and directed the students in various activities from 1941 to 1943. Beginning in 1943, she taught senior English at Kearney High School. During her time in Kearney, she met H. Dwight King, who was editor of the Kearney Daily Hub. They were united in marriage on January 20, 1946.

In Kearney, she was one of the original members of the Kearney Community Concert Association board, belonged to P.E.O. and was president of the Community Chest and Junior Women's Club. In 1950, they moved to New Kensington, PA, where Mr. King and a partner bought the New Kensington Daily Dispatch newspaper. Their only son, Robert was born at New Kensington, which was the home of kitchenwear manufacturer, Wearever. Mrs. King belonged to and served as president of the New Kensington P.E.O. Chapter and represented the chapter at the state convention in Philadelphia. In 1954 they moved to Central City, Nebraska.

In 1957, the Kings moved to Holdrege, where Mr. King had purchased the Holdrege Daily Citizen from LaMonte Lundstrom. Mrs. King continued some of her previous activities in Holdrege, she was a member of the First United Methodist Church, where she taught Sunday school and sang in the choir, P.E.O. chairwoman of the local heart drive, member of the Holdrege Community Concert board, a Cub Scout den mother, co-chairperson of UNICEF drive for all churches, a member of the Phelps County Historical Society, a contributor to the Phelps County Community Foundation, and a member of the Phelps County Democratic Women. She received her 60-year P.E.O. pin in 2007.

The Kings traveled extensively. Besides traveling, reading was her life-long hobby. She read five newspapers a day, magazines and books, especially biographies. She used to say, "I don't care what you say, if you don't read a newspaper, you've missed something."

She leaves to mourn her passing her son, Robert King of Holdrege; one brother, Robert Erickson of Hordville; one sister, Helen Solt of Central City; one niece, Kathryn Mesner and her husband, Cliff, and their daughter, Amy all of Central City; two great-nephews, Ron Solt of Houston, TX, Mitch Solt of Central City; one great-niece, Ashley Solt of Lincoln, NE and a host of cousins and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, H. Dwight King in 1995; four sisters: Blanche Johnson and her husband, Lennart, Margaret Larson and her husband, Adrian, Pearl White and her husband, Orwin and Verna Erickson; one uncle, Ronald Solt; and a cousin, Leslie Solt.

Mrs. King will lie in state at the Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 from 1:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. with the family greeting from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

A memorial has been established in her memory and will be designated at a later date.

Expressions of caring and kindness can be sent to the family at www.nelsonbauerfh.com

The Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege is in charge of the arrangements.