RUTH GLADYS (RIEK)

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RUTH GLADYS (nee RIEK) Ruth Gladys (nee Riek) passed away peacefully at St. Boniface Hospital on December 28, 2010 at 80 years of age. She was predeceased by her mother Elsa and father Paul. Mom was born in Stuttgart, Germany in July of 1930, the first of two daughters born to Paul and Elsa Riek. Growing up during the Second World War gave Mom the strength to endure any hardship. She managed to complete her degree as an optician in order to take over the family business from her father. She worked for the U.S. army after the war as a bookkeeper and accountant, but curiosity got the best of her and in 1955, she decided to board the passenger ship Arosa Star to visit Canada for a year. She wound up staying in Canada where she met her future husband Bill, who lived below her in a rooming house on Dufferin Avenue here in Winnipeg. They were married in December of 1955 and enjoyed 54 years of marriage. They moved out to their farm in Stony Mountain in 1960, where they built a house and made it a home. In 1966, they had their first child Linda Lee, followed a year later by their son Riek William. Mom took great pride in her flower gardens and giant vegetable gardens. While raising a family, she helped with the family farm, raising chickens, ducks, pheasants, rabbits, cows and whatever other animals we had. All these projects kept her busy until diabetes slowed her down. Even then, she kept active with her cooking and her flowerbeds. Mom and Dad both took time to help raise their grandson Andrew into the fine young man he has become today. Linda and Danny couldn't be prouder. We'll miss her German potato salad that only she could make. Barbecues won't be the same without it. Most of all, we'll miss her good nature, her caring demeanor, her determination and her ability to give good advice, whether we wanted to hear it or not. We couldn't have asked for a better mother. Mom is survived by her loving husband of 54 years, Bill, her daughter, son-in-law and grandson Linda, Danny and Andrew Bourgeois, and her son Riek and friend Sherry, as well as her sister Gerda and brother-in-law Walter in Germany. Many thanks to Dr. Guzman and Dr. Macek for their efforts in preserving Mom's quality of life, and special thanks to the staff on the fourth floor Urology Department who gave such special care for Mom after her surgery. Memorial Service to be held on Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at Glen Eden Funeral Home at 10:00 a.m. Reception and a private family interment will follow. Glen Eden Funeral Home 338-7111

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 31, 2010