Ruth Gilbertson, age 96, passed peacefully on to the great dance floor in the sky on March 25, 2015. She had been a resident of Valley View Home since 2011.
Ruth Alyce Fuhrman was born March 21, 1919 at the family home in the Baylor community in North Valley County. She was the third child of ten born to Peter K. and Pauline (Miller) Fuhrman. She was raised on the family farm/ranch and had many stories to tell of growing up with her 9 siblings and numerous cousins that lived near them. She often told of scaring her mother to death when she was little by climbing to the top of the windmill ““ quite the tomboy.
Ruth attended the Fuhrman School in Baylor as a young child, moving to Glasgow during her high school years. She graduated in 1936 ““ one full year ahead of schedule.
She met her future husband- Olaf Gilbertson- through mutual friends. He had come to Valley County from Stanley, North Dakota to work on the Fort Peck Dam. They married July 27, 1940 and moved to Niehart, Montana where he worked in the mines. They soon decided that was not where they wanted to be and returned to Glasgow to be near family. Other than a short span of years when they lived in Tucson, Arizona, they spent their entire married life in Valley County. They farmed and ranched northeast of Glasgow from 1958 until they retired in the 1980’s.
Anyone that knew Ruth, knew of her love of dancing. Ruth and Ole loved to waltz and two-step. After he passed, you could always find her wherever Cap Holter or Dudley and the Deadbeats were playing. She danced right up until having a stroke- while dancing at the Elks Club – in 2011.
Ruth was preceded in death by her husband Olaf in 1998, parents Peter and Pauline Fuhrman, son Leslie in 2013, grandson Lance, siblings Walt, Clarence, Melvin, Earl, Jim, and Kenny Fuhrman, Lenore Alden and Phyllis Campbell.
She is survived by children Deanna Jones of Glasgow, Kristi (Ted) Schulz of Sacramento, CA, Gordon Gilbertson of Roundup, Ron (Cary) Gilbertson of Glasgow, and Jeff (Rosario) Gilbertson of Missoula; sister Barbara Bales of Scottsdale, AZ, 16 grandchildren including Tracey Jones Waarvik of Glasgow, Julie Jones McGehe of Snoqualmie, WA, Scott Gilbertson and Lori Barnett of Miles City, Cody Gilbertson of Bozeman, Tawne Gilbertson Sweet of Castle Rock, WA, Rod Cornwell of Okinawa, Shana Gilbertson Myren of Kalispell, Trina Cornwell Hill of Coeur d’Alene, ID, Russ Gilbertson of Glasgow, John Gilbertson of Whitefish, Nick Schulz of Portola, CA, Katie Schulz of Cotati, CA, Carli Schulz of Chico, CA, Jessica and Michael Gilbertson of Missoula, as well as numerous great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.
Dance on, Mom”¦”¦.. Happy you’re free of pain.