Ruth G. (Wallace) Helm
Ruth G. (Wallace) Helm, died Sept. 9, 2007, after a brief but overwhelming illness.
Ruth will be laid to rest alongside her husband in Endicott Cemetery, Endicott, Wash.
No graveside service will be held. On Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 1 p.m., there will be a celebration of her life at the German American Society, W. 25 Third Ave., in Spokane, Wash.
Ruth was born at home in Spokane on Dec. 31, 1919, to Charles and Hallie Wallace. She grew up in Spokane and graduated from Rogers High School.
During her first year at Walla Walla College, she met fellow student David Helm. They left school and were married on Dec. 1, 1938. Their marriage ended only with David's death in April 2003. Ruth nursed him through his final years of disabling heart disease.
Had she been born in a different era, Ruth told family members, she might have been a real estate agent. Instead her family became her life's work and also her legacy.
Twin sons were born to Ruth and David in January 1943. Her pride in those sons is legendary. She and David budgeted and saved for years to enable the twins to attend college. Both young men graduated from Washington State University.
Robert went on to become a fine arts professor at WSU and an internationally known artist.
Ronald was valedictorian of his 1965 WSU class, then graduated from Baylor College of Medicine and completed an OB/GYN residency at the University of Colorado. He practiced medicine for some 30 years before retiring.
"My son the artist" and "my son the doctor" are the phrases for which Ruth will be best remembered.
Ruth lived in Spokane for all but four or five years of her life. She and David bought waterfront property in Sandpoint, Idaho, in 1969.
They summered there after David's retirement from the Spokane Fire Department. The cabin they built on West Oden Bay was a treasured second home.
Ruth is survived by her beloved sons, Robert R. and wife Tamara of Pullman and Ronald R. and wife Robin of Sandpoint; grandchildren, Brenna Helm Manwaring and her husband Jonathan and John Boone Helm of Pullman, Heather Helm (Dedeann Pendleton) of Fort Collins, Colo., and Hilary Helm of Sammamish, Wash.; great-granddaughter Rowan Manwaring; brother Charles Robert Wallace of Spokane; and sister Frankie Bartoo of Spokane.
Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, David; her brother, Roland Wallace; and grandson, Scott Eric Helm.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the WSU Foundation, P.O. Box 641927, Pullman, Wash., 99164-1927.