Ruth C. Brown, 88
Ruth C. Brown, 88, of Botkins, died 11:05 p.m., Tuesday, May 10, 2022, at the Elmwood Assisted Living of New Bremen.
She was born July 28, 1933, in Ottoville, OH, the daughter of Herman and Anna (Schnipke) Mittelkamp, who preceded
her in death. On June 2, 1956, she married
Donald C. Brown who preceded her in death on Feb. 9, 1980.
Survivors include six children, Debra (Joseph) Zimpfer of
Botkins, Barbara (Kirk) Berus Lamagna of Pittsburg, PA, Catherine (Lawrence)
Schwartz of Puyallup, WA, Chris (Cindy)
Brown of Wapakoneta, Nancy (Ronald) Stutsman of Botkins and Craig (Sara) Brown,
also of Botkins; 19 grandchildren, Shaun (Ashlee) Zimpfer,
Dustin (Kayla) Zimpfer, Brett (Katy) Zimpfer, Ethan (Cassandra) Zimpfer, Ryan (Rebecca) Berus, Matthew (Kelly) Berus, Nicholas Berus, Zachary Schwartz, Elliot
Schwartz, Tyler (Austine) Brown, Heather (Conner) Crandall, Joshua Brown, Nathaniel Stutsman,
Spencer Stutsman, Connor Stutsman, Donovan Brown, Carson Brown, Ella Brown, Aspen Brown;
nine great grandchildren; and her sister, Julie Koch, Columbus Grove.
In addition to her husband, Ruth was preceded in death by
her long-time companion and fiancé, James Hoying; two
sisters, Lucinda O’brien and Clara Brinkman; and two
brothers, Henry Mittelkamp and Joseph Mittelkamp; as well as a son-in-law, Jeffrey Berus.
Ruth retired as the co-owner and secretary/treasurer of
Brown Industrial in 2000. She was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Botkins. Ruth graduated from Ottoville High School
in 1951, where she was class valedictorian and sang the lead in the school musical. Ruth served on the
Botkins Village Council for 18 years, spent
many years as a 4-H Club advisor, was a
member of the Botkins Community Club,
Botkins Friends of the Library, and Botkins Women’s Club. She
enjoyed her card clubs, attending the Lima
Symphony Orchestra, reading, crossword puzzles, sewing, and
crocheting. She was also an avid sports fan.
Despite a birthdate that disputed it, Ruth
claimed for decades that she was 29, so it should be noted that she died at the ripe old age of 29.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m., Monday, May 16, 2022, at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Botkins, Fr. Sean Wilson officiating. Burial will follow in the Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Botkins.
The family will receive friends from 3-7 p.m. Sunday at the Eley Funeral Home &
Crematory, St. Rt. 501, Wapakoneta. Memorials may be directed to the Botkins Memorial Pool or Friends of
the Botkins Library. Condolences may be expressed at www. eleyfuneralhomeandcrematory.com.