Helen Ruggles

    Helen Sommer Ruggles, 77 of Raymond died at her home May 6, 2009.  Funeral Services will be
    10AM Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at the Plentywood Lutheran Church in Plentywood, Montana with
    Pastor Ron Martin~Dent presiding.  Services are under the direction of Fulkerson Funeral Home of
    Plentywood..
       
    Helen was the youngest daughter, born March 26, 1932 in Giluwka Dolna, East Germany (which is
    now Poland) to Robert Sommer and Karoline (Ulich).  Helen attended school there until 1942.  In
    order to further her education, Helen went to live with her sister Inge, who worked in a large city
    about 100 miles from her farm home.
      
    Helen went to a “Haupt a Schule” (equivalent to a High School in the United States).  In 1945, the
    war separated Helen and her sister Inge from there parents and they had to flee the area, finally
    settling in Heidelberg, Germany.

    Helen’s Aunt Amanda (Sommer) Jensen who lived in Raymond, Montana sponsored Helen so she
    was able to come to the USA in April 1950.  That summer Helen met David in Plentywood.  
    Sometimes on a Sunday excursion, Aunt Amanda would stop at one of the local watering holes.  It
    was on one such occasion that Helen and David were introduced.  

Amanda thought David would be a good suitor for Helen.  Amanda soon had David chauffeuring her and Helen around in her Ford
Coupe.  David then began riding his horse “Flicka” over to Amanda’s farm.  David asked Helen to marry him and Helen refused.  She
said she wouldn’t marry him until he had a car.  Helen and David were married in the Westby parsonage on October 9, 1950.  They
moved to Raymond in 1951.

In February 1953 she applied for US citizenship.  In order to prepare for the test, she went to school in Dooley for one week to learn about
the US government.  Helen became a US citizen in May 1953 and was appointed Postmaster of Raymond in September of 1956, a job
she held until retiring on March 31, 2000.

The most important thing in Helen’s life was her family.  She was a very active woman.  She was a very strong person and believed  in
hard work and was very persistent.  Just ask the Sheridan County Commissioners.  Who said that dynamite didn’t come in small
packages?  Helen always wanted to learn something new.  She loved to read, cook, bake, decorate cakes, quilt, sew,  knit, crochet and
upholster furniture.

She was noted for making the best angel food cake for many years at the Sheridan County Fair.  She was always a gracious host and
always had the coffee on and plenty of homemade goodies to go with it.  If she could feed you, it made her very happy.  The one thing that
you always had to do before you left was to sign the Guest Book, which she had been keeping since March of 1967.

She loved her six cats.  They were all named “PUSS” except for Melvin, Tom and Tiger.  Helen was active in the Raymond Homemaker
Club, Raymond Park Board and the Dooley Cemetery Association.  She was confirmed in the Lutheran faith in Germany and was a
member of the Plentywood Lutheran Church and of the Miriam circle.  Helena was also a member of the Sheridan County Historical
society.

Helen is survived by her loving husband David of 58+  years of Raymond; She is also survived by her three children:  Delbert and his
fiancé’ Tina Barnett of Missoula, MT; Carol Ruggles and her companion Mike Jenkins of Three Forks, MT; Terry and his wife Kolby of
Westby, MT;

She is also survived by five grandchildren , Isaac and his wife Jennifer of Helena, MT; Jesse Ruggles of Burnsville, MN; and Sarah
Ruggles of Farmington, MN; Travis Ruggles of Bismarck, ND; Lindsay Ruggles and Barry Johnson of Plentywood and a great-grandson
Caleb Johnson.

Helen is also survived by her two sisters, Inge Christie of Harrisburg, PA; Alma Swierzawski and her husband Ted of  Lansdale, PA; a
brother Edward and his wife Heidi of Drexel Hill, PA; as well as numerous cousins nieces and nephews.

Helen is preceded in death by her parents Robert & Karoline Sommer, an infant child Douglas Howard Ruggles in August 1951.  She is
also preceded in death by her cousin Robert Wolff of St. Paul MN and Aunt Amanda (Sommer) Jensen of Plentywood
. . . . in Memory of . . . .
1932 - 2009
Comments:
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Dear David and family,
Our condolences to you.  Helen was such a sweet lady and such a good friend to my Mom.  I was always very appreciative of you and
your family inviting my Mom for holiday meals when I could not be with her.  She very much appreciated your generous hospitality.  Thank
you.  We will all miss her and her cheerful personality.

Twila Ketterman
San Dimas, CA
twilaket@gmail.com
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Grandma I will miss you so much. You were a special person to me and your great-grandson Caleb love you to. Love you forever and
always.

Lindsay Ruggles
Plentywood,MT
Lindsay23_00@yahoo.com
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I will miss my grandma very much. She was a wonderful woman.I remember everything she made for and gave to me and my siblings.

Jesse Ruggles
Burnsville, MN
plutopower2003@yahoo.com
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Rest well my Auntie.  I will remember you dearly.

Bob Swierzawski
Hatfield, PA
Swierzawski@comcast.net
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Helen was a kind and caring woman that truly defined how "great things come in little packages".  Helen will be greatly missed.

Ben and Lynette (Wilson) Eaton
Zahl, ND
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Remembering Helen