Ruth Page Flett Parnell
Ruth Page Flett Parnell, age 99, formerly of Hamilton, ND and most recently, Orrville, OH passed away February 8 at Orrvilla Maple Terrace.
Ruth was born February 12, 1922, at Santa Rita, NM to Charles Magoris and Elsie Irene (Page) Flett.
She grew up in Hamilton, ND and graduated in 1939 from Hamilton High School. She attended the University of North Dakota 1939-42.
She married Donald James Parnell February 28, 1942, at Camp Roberts, CA. After Don’s military service in WWII they lived in Hamilton, ND where they operated the Standard Oil station at the corner of Hwy 81 and Hwy 5. Ruth worked as a substitute postal route carrier in Hamilton 1945-56, as a clerk in the Pembina County Auditor’s office 1956-62 and deputy county treasurer 1963-78. She was elected County Treasurer in 1978 and retired in 1988.
She was a member of the United Methodist Churches in Hamilton, ND, Grand Forks, ND, and Orrville, OH where she served as choir director, lay leader, Sunday School teacher and many other roles. She was also a 4-H leader of the Valley Maidens. During retirement she was the delegate from Grand Forks County to the North Dakota Silver Haired Legislature. Ruth was an avid sports fan, especially of the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey team. She was also an avid reader and continued to follow current sports and political news until the last several months.
Don and Ruth lived in Hamilton until a retirement move to Grand Forks, ND in 1988. In 2003 she moved to the Orrvilla Retirement Community, Orrville, OH.
Preceding her in death were her parents; husband; son, Ray, and sister, Ethel Kihne Syrup.
Survivors include her sister Jean Bryan, Yakima, WA; daughter, Margaret Jean (Larry) Sander; Orrville, OH; daughter-in-law, Lynda Parnell, Huntley, IL; grandchildren Coralie (Dean) Parnell, Derek (Mary Lynn), Ryan (Marilee) and Mark (Amy) Parnell, Jeremy Sander and Melanie (Steven) Fisher; and great-grandchildren Erin, Rianne, Paige and Adia Arnoldussen, Isabel, Eliana, Emmanuel, Elyse, Gabriel, Rosemary, Isaac, Vivian, and Quinn Parnell, Avianna, and Kai Fisher.
Friends may call on Friday, February 11 at Auble Funeral Home, 512 East Oak Street, Orrville, from 5 pm to 7 pm. Services will be on Saturday, February 12, at 11am, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1556 Rex Drive, Orrville.
Graveside services will be at the Hamilton, ND cemetery this summer.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Trinity United Methodist Church, 1556 Rex Drive, Orrville, OH 44667, Maple Terrace Activity Fund, 333 E. Sassafras St., Orrville, OH 44667 or the Hamilton Cemetery Fund, P.O. 174, Hamilton, ND. 58238.
