Ruth K. Henss

Ruth Kay Hamilton Henss was a wonderful woman who is loved, missed, and will always be cherished by many.

Ruth’s story began on February 23rd, 1936. She was the youngest child of Cecil and

Rita Hamilton.

Ruth was born in Mason City, Iowa and lived in the small town of Garner. Her big brother, Clark, was five when she came along. Ruth’s dad was the town doctor, and she loved helping out in his office. She enjoyed school and her many friends, singing, and playing piano. Summers during her teenage years were spent in Clear Lake, Iowa working at the Surf Ballroom.

After graduating from high school, Ruth attended the University of Iowa, where she met her future husband, John Henss, who she married on September 1, 1956. They were blessed with five children who Ruth stayed home and raised. She was very proud of her children and shared stories of them with everyone she knew. Although child-rearing kept her busy, she was very involved in her church, Covenant Presbyterian. Working with various mission projects was her passion and continued to be until the end.

In May of 1994, Ruth set out on an adventure and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico with her daughter, Virginia. Patty, Julie, and Joe soon followed. She loved the beauty of the state, the blending of cultures, and, of course, the weather. Soon after arriving, Ruth found her church home at Shepherd of the Valley Presbyterian where she made wonderful friends and continued volunteering with many mission projects. During this time, Ruth was an office manager for environmental engineers at Metric Corporation. She was born an environmentalist, and began recycling long before curbside pickup made it easy. This value was passed on to her children.

Ruth leaves behind many loved ones who will miss her tremendously. She is survived by her daughter Julia Henss (Thomas Linnan); daughter Kristin Palmer (Robert); daughter Virginia Clark (Richard Arellano); daughter Patricia Garrett, son Joseph Henss (Melissa), grandchildren Jordan Armstrong, Chelsea Armstrong (Matthew Bailey), Noah Armstrong, Jonas Armstrong (Triston), Katherine Kelly (Carl), Jennifer Palmer, Rachel Garrett, William Garrett, Elle Garrett, Aidan Henss, Grayson Henss, and Emma Henss, and greatgrandchildren Lyric Lawson-Parks, Worthing Bailey, Oden Armstrong, Cameron Bailey, Finn Kelly, and Rhys Kelly.

A celebration of life will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 24th, 2018 at Shepherd of the Valley Presbyterian Church, located at 1801 Montano Rd, NW. Because of Ruth’s hearing impairment, the family requests any memorial gifts be made to Shepherd of the Valley Presbyterian Church to be used towards the purchase of a new sound system in the sanctuary.