Obituaries

Funeral services for Ruth Fouch will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, December 14, 2021 at Murdock Funeral Home. Burial will be in Violet Hill Cemetery. A visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until service time. Ruth passed away Sunday, December 5, 2021 at Community Care Center in Stuart, IA, at the age of 96 years. Ruth Arlene Bane was born August 6, 1925 in Scranton, IA, the daughter of Herbert and Anna Bane. She grew up in rural Greene and Guthrie counties. The family moved to Perry in her middle school years. She graduated from Perry High School with the class of 1943. She attended American Institute of Business and worked for the Railroad office in Perry. Ruth married Richard J. Fouch on October 10, 1945 in Santa Ana, CA. while he was stationed with the United States Navy. They opened Fouch Funeral Home in 1960 and owned and operated the business until 1980. Upon retirement they moved to Lake Panorama and then on to Bella Vista, AR., in 1990. They moved back to Iowa in 2010 and resided at Lake Diamondhead until her health declined. Ruth was a member of the First United Methodist Church where she once taught Sunday School, sang in the choir and was a women’s circle member. She was a past president of the Perry Soroptimist Club and was a founding member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority in Perry. Left to cherish Ruth’s memory is one son, Jerry (Shirley) Fouch of Taunton, United Kingdom; one daughter Connie Meester (Jim Giles) of Des Moines, IA; eight grandchildren, Geoffrey Meester, Travis Meester, Abigail MacEachern, Lisa Blair, Kelly Fouch, Zoe Mars, Nathan Fouch, Anna Marlow, and Liza Jane Johnson Thomas; several great and great-great grandchildren. Preceding her in death were her parents; husband, Richard on March 3, 2012; one daughter, Cathy Marlow; two great grandchildren, Harold and Garrett Meester; two brothers; two sisters and daughter-in-law Karen Fouch on June 2, 2017. Memorials may be directed to St. Croix Hospice in Ruth’s name. Memorials or condolences to the family may be left or mailed to Murdock Funeral Home, Perry, IA.