Ruth Ellen Hartley, age 70, of Brookings, SD, went home to be with the Lord on Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, at the Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8, at Gracepoint Wesleyan Church in Brookings, SD. Breakfast, her favorite meal, will be served with interment at Fairview Cemetery in White, SD following. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at Eidsness Funeral Home in Brookings, SD.
Ruth Ellen Hartley was born on Jan. 12, 1952, in Hendricks, MN, to George and Zena (DeVries) Hartley. She was later joined by her sissy, Gloria, and little big brother, David, to complete the Hartley family. They lived briefly in Huron and several locations in Brookings County before moving to Brookings in 1969. Ruth graduated from Brookings High School in 1970. She became a member of the Brookings Wesleyan Church and relied on her Christian faith. She welcomed her son Nick into the world on July 13, 1984, during a thunderstorm after the hospital lost power. Nick was her pride and joy and she never missed an opportunity to brag about him.
She valued being part of a team, especially in her employment. She spent numerous years at K-Mart, Advance, The Index, Runnings, McDonald’s, and the SDSU Dining Service, several times. One of the highlights of her work was connecting with and ministering to the students and student-athletes.
She valued her relationships with friends. If you were her friend, you were family. She enjoyed having coffee and spending time with anyone who could carry on a conversation. Recently, she relished having a daughter-in-law, Heather, to shop with and share recipes with. She also became a dog lover, but only for her grand dog, with whom she would share treats during visits to Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law: Nick and Heather Hartley of Edmond, OK, her grand dog, Dakota, her sister Gloria Jensen of Brookings, and her brother David Hartley of Whitewood, South Dakota, many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephew, and her many close friends. She was preceded in death by her parents.
In lieu of flowers, Ruth requested that donations be made to help Nick and Heather with their dreams of adopting her first grandchild.
