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As received from Memorial Chapel Funeral and Cremation Service:
UPDATE: A memorial service for Ruth will take place at 11am, Saturday, July 15, 2023 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is Chassell with Rev. Soren Schmidt to officiate. Burial will take place in the Forest Hill Cemtery in Houghton. Friends may call on Saturday from 10am until the time of services at the church.
Ruth Edna Kangas Groth, 97, died on December 8, 2022, at Omega House in Houghton, Michigan. She is survived by her children, Emil of Chassell, Michigan, John of Cleveland, Ohio, Rick (Vicki) of Waupaca, Wisconsin, Daniel of Hancock, Michigan, and Gloria (Paulo) of Surrey, British Columbia; grandchildren, John (Jhen), Jennifer (Tom), Alexander (Mary), Christopher (Jasmine), Eric, Nicholas, and Rebecca; Sister-in-law, Mildred Kangas; great-grandchildren, Ethan, Nolan, Josephine, John, Thomas, Jedrick, and Jackson; and numerous nieces and nephews. Ruth lived a full life of humble service and was an example for others.
Ruth was born in Hancock, Michigan, to Mathias and Edna (nee Pelto) Kangas. She graduated from Hancock High School (1942), Hancock, Michigan; Suomi College (1944), Hancock, Michigan; and Michigan State University (BA 1946).
After graduating from Suomi College and Michigan State, Ruth became a schoolteacher. She taught in Rochester, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; Maynard, Iowa; and Bratislava, Slovakia.
In 1947, Ruth married Rev. Ulrich F. Groth. They resided in Des Moines, Iowa; Dysart, Iowa; Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; and Maynard, Iowa, and raised four boys and one daughter. In retirement they split their time between McAllen, Texas and Chassell, Michigan.
In 1998, following the passing of her husband, Ulrich, and ten years after retiring from her teaching career, Ruth spent a year in Bratislava, Slovakia, teaching English at a Lutheran High School in conjunction with ELCA’s Global Missions. Throughout retirement, she also taught English in the McAllen Public Library English Language Program, McAllen, Texas; the McAllen Salvation Army English Language Program; and privately in her home for immigrants and the spouses of college students in Texas and Michigan for many years.
Ruth believed strongly in the power of education and in addition to her lifelong work in schools, churches, and as a volunteer English teacher, she was also an active member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, a group of leading women educators that promotes professional and personal growth and excellence in education. Ruth always put others before herself and was active in the church as a Sunday School teacher, choir member, and served in numerous other ways in every congregation where her husband was a pastor, as well as in retirement.
Ruth is preceded in death by her parents; siblings Wayne, Ingrid, Matt, Elbert, and Andrew; her husband Ulrich; and an infant son, Alexander.
A service will be held in the summer 2023. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Chassell, Michigan, First Lutheran Church in Edinburgh, Texas, or Omega House in Houghton, Michigan.
To view Ruth’s obituary or to send condolences to the family please visit www.memorialchapel.net.
The Memorial Chapel Funeral & Cremation Service – Chassell Chapel has been assisting the family with the arrangements.
