Ruth Elaine Forbes

Our beloved Ruth Elaine Forbes passed away on Saturday February 6th, 2021 at The Bay at Eastview. She was 93 years old. Ruth was born on October 10th, 1927 in Berwyn, IL to Josef and Agnes (Blaha) Sterc. The family moved to the Deerbrook area to farm when she was a young child. Through neighboring farms and friends, Ruth discovered her life-long love of horses. Ruth attended Langlade County Public Elementary Schools, Antigo Junior High, Antigo Senior High and also Vocational School. Ruth was employed at The Hyland Lakes Dairy Bar in Antigo, WI from ages 16-21, where she met many life-long friends. She had various other jobs, including childcare and working at the Pea Cannery. Ruth married Vernon Forbes on October 18, 1947, and began their family. They moved to the Milwaukee area for 9 years, where Ruth was a homemaker. After returning to Antigo with their four children, Ruth worked at Eastview Manor and then began a 24-year career at Sheldon’s Inc., where she became a supervisor, retiring in 1991. After retirement, she worked at The Antigo Daily Journal and in the cafeterias of the Antigo School District. Ruth cared most about faith, family, friends and music in her life. She was an active member of the Antigo Church of the Nazarene, where she happily assisted with Sunday School and other church activities. Ruth was a member of the Langlade County Christian Women’s Club for years. She believed strongly in the power of prayer. Through daily prayer and scripture, she asked for support and protection for a long list of family, friends and acquaintances, near and far. Ruth loved spending time with family, including her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She made wonderful, home-cooked meals. No matter the size of the gathering, she always made sure there was a plate for everyone. During her time in the nursing home, Ruth looked forward to gifts of her favorite homemade dishes or an occasional piece of pie or kolache from The Dixie Lunch. Throughout her life, Ruth enjoyed playing and watching sports (especially softball), dancing polkas, playing card games, taking road trips, cross-country skiing, gardening, and socializing with her many friends. She had a few performing roles in the local community theater and enjoyed Body Recall exercise classes. Ruth was able to sew, crochet, and embroider beautiful, crafted pieces. She was very mechanically inclined, fixing machines at work, watches, and televisions. Ruth was an avid reader, documenting every book she read, kept a journal of important events, and was a dedicated penpal. Music entered Ruth’s life as a young child. By the age of 6, she was able to pick up an accordion or a harmonica and play Bohemian folk songs by ear. Supported by family members, she became quite the musician and passed her love of music on to her family. She was a member of Memories, a senior band, and enjoyed entertaining the audiences with both accordion and tambourine, always with a smile. Ruth also looked forward to attending performances by Antigo Music Association and Music at the Park. Although she had stopped performing publicly, in truth, she played over a span of almost 90 years. Ruth played for family and friends wherever she was, and in recent years gained a small online following. She shook her head in humor at the growing interest in her playing, and enjoyed catching up on comments posted in appreciation. Ruth always had time to talk to whomever would reach out to her. She was a great listener and had an amazing memory. Ruth saw or spoke with her children and grandchildren often; for some it was a daily ritual. We will dearly miss her words of wisdom, her cheery attitude, and that wonderful laugh. Ruth is survived by her four children: Michael (Marilyn) Forbes of Whitelaw, Linda Ourada of Antigo, Jennifer (John) Forbes-Benishek of Deerbrook, and Shawn Forbes of Antigo; her six grandchildren: Tracie (Ramiro) Ourada, Nicole (David) Ourada, Mona Forbes, Matt (Nicole) Forbes, Emily (Mat) Owen, and Laura Benishek; her seven great-grandchildren; Monica Ruth, Madeline, Isabel, Gabrielle Elaine, Dylan, Fiona, and Samwell. She is also survived by sisters-in-law Laura (Jesse) Mathews, Suzette Jeffrey, and Betty Forbes, son-in-law Gary Ourada, her niece, Sandy (Al) Resch, nephew Robert Sterc, great-niece Tina (Andy) Riehl, great-nephew Todd (Krista) Resch, close friend Judi Ingram and numerous extended family members and close friends. In addition to her husband, Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, a sister Agnes Sterc, brother Joseph Sterc, sister-in-law Esther Sterc, nephew Richard Sterc and other in-laws. A private memorial will be held for immediate family. A Celebration of Life will be announced for a future date.