Ruth Brockhaus

After a brief battle with pancreatic cancer, Ruth Brockhaus passed away in her home at Avamere Senior Center on November 13, 2014 in St. Helens, Oregon. She was 88. Ruth was born on January 11, 1926 on a farm in Turner County, South Dakota to her parents, Freda and Carl Williams, and was a sister to Carol Spomer, Helen Ford, and Richard C. Williams. Following high school Ruth moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota where she worked for the NW Bell Telephone Company for six years. In 1951, she married Merle Sande and moved to Green Lake, MN where she had five children, including a set of twins. Eventually they tired of the frigid conditions in Minnesota and moved the family to Oregon City, Oregon in 1959. She was most proud of being a mother to her five children – Robert Sande of Oregon City, Oregon; Rhonda Stroup of Pagosa Springs, Colorado; Ronald Sande of Las Vegas, Nevada; Doug Sande of Warren, Oregon; and Sheryl Huiras of Canby, Oregon. She also played an active role in the lives of her six grandchildren and her four great-grandsons. Ruth eventually married Otto Brockhaus after Merle passed away, and moved to Ocean Park, Washington before relocating to Rainier, Oregon. In Rainier, Ruth became extremely passionate about the Senior Center Building Committee. Her many contributions involved grant writing, fundraising, strategic planning, and volunteer coordination, all of which led to the successful implementation of a new Senior Center and riverfront housing for Columbia County seniors in 2003. Ruth would like to personally thank the many volunteers and committee members that help keep the center running smoothly. The family would like to invite friends and relatives for a memorial service on Thursday November 20, 2014 at 1pm at Columbia Funeral Home in St. Helens, Oregon. Guests are welcome to arrive early for an open viewing from 9am-12pm. Burial will be held after the service at Columbia Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Scappoose, Oregon. In lieu of flowers the family requests any donations be made to The Rainier Senior Center. Address: Rainier Senior Center 48 7th St. West Rainier, OR 97048

Ruth Brockhaus

January 11, 1926 - November 13, 2014