Obituaries

April 28, 1934 to August 3, 2023

ROYAL CENTER - Bonnie (Deam) Ruhl, 89, of Star City, passed away Thursday, Aug. 3, at Hickory Creek Nursing Home in Winamac, surrounded by family.

Born April 28, 1934 to Ralph and Marcella Deam in Ft. Wayne, she grew up in rural Decatur, IN. Bonnie had three younger siblings: Betty, Linda and Margie. She was a graduate of Monmouth High School (Decatur) where she enjoyed cheerleading, playing clarinet in the band, and acting in school plays. She married Dean Ruhl of Hoagland, IN on July 3, 1953. The couple recently celebrated their 70th anniversary. He survives.

Bonnie Ruhl

Also surviving are children Joe (Gail) of West Lafayette; Dana (Kathy) of Delphi; Dan (Linda) of Star City; Mark (Kelly) of Logansport; and Kelly (Penny) of New Castle. The couple have 15 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by a grandson, Barry Day of Winamac, and a great-grandson, infant William Powlen of Fayetteville, NC.

After high school, Mrs. Ruhl worked at Lincoln Life Insurance Company in Fort Wayne, until she and husband moved to West Lafayette where he pursued his bachelor’s degree in agricultural education at Purdue University, and she remained an avid Purdue basketball fan throughout her life. She enjoyed reading, gardening, swimming, fishing, walks in the woods, and raising her children. In addition to taking care of her five children and maintaining a spotless (she did teach her kids how to clean the kitchen, dust the furniture, and sweep the floors – regularly!), well-organized home, for a time she worked a few evenings a week as a waitress at Italian Gardens and later at the Shafer House in Monticello. In more recent years she worked part time at the video store and beauty shop in Winamac, as well as Oak Grove restaurant in Star City.

Her children (for several years they were a house of five teenagers!) will always remember their mother as a person who had compassion for all people, and who was a loving, devoted wife, as well as a hard-working, yet fun-loving mom with a contagious smile and laugh and a witty sense of humor. Home was a warm, happy place filled with unconditional love, laughter, singing, and the aroma of baking cookies in the kitchen. Precious memories will remain of a mom who taught us how to work and about God’s love for us; a mom who loved people; a mom who taught us to read, played baseball with us, ice skated with us in the woods, taught us to swim, rode bicycles through the countryside with us, dried our tears when needed; and a wise and “with it” counselor mom who we could talk to about absolutely anything.   

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 9, at Star City United Methodist Church, Star City. The funeral service will be at 10 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 10, at the church with one hour of visitation prior to the service. Final place of rest will be at Victor Chapel Cemetery in rural Star City.

Expressions of sympathy can be messages or donations to Star City United Methodist Church and/or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Rans Funeral Homes, Royal Center.