Glen Arthur Ruter, 88, of Garner, formerly of Kanawha, passed away on Wednesday,
January 26, 2022, in Mesa, Arizona.
The funeral service for Glen Ruter will be held 10:30 AM Saturday, February 5,
2022 at Kanawha Christian Reformed Church, 129 E 3rd St, Kanawha. Burial will be
at Amsterdam Township Cemetery, rural Kanawha.
The visitation will from 9:30 until time of the funeral on Saturday.
Glen Ruter was born the youngest child of Hammond & Dena (Riekens) Ruter on May
8, 1933. He grew up in the Kanawha area with his parents, brother, Ben, and
sister, Grace. Glen attended Kanawha rural school until 9th grade when he went
to work on the farm with his father.
On November 19, 1952, Glen married Carolyn Vander Stoep in Hollandale,
Minnesota. They were blessed with five children, Anita, Dave, Daryl, Arnie and
Angela. For nearly 60 years he farmed until his retirement in 2000. He continued
helping his son, Daryl, on the farm until three years ago, at the age of 85,
still hauling corn with the semi. Glen enjoyed his coffee time and could strike
up a conversation with anyone. Glen & Carolyn wintered in Arizona for 35+ years.
Glen was a member of the Kanawha Christian Reformed Church all his life. He
served as a Deacon and was on the Buildings and Grounds Committee for many
years. He loved the Kanawha Christian School and was a great supporter, served
on the board and spent many volunteer hours there. For many years he drove
school bus for the Kanawha Community School District. He enjoyed taking his
family to northern Minnesota on a fishing trip each year while the kids were
young. With five kids fishing he always had to troll backwards to keep the lines
out of the motor. He also enjoyed traveling, often with his camper, enjoying the
beauty of the country. Most Friday nights during the summer you would find them
at the races, even this past summer.
Glen is survived by his wife, Carolyn, of Garner and his five children: Anita
(Steve) Hubers of Pease, Minnesota; Dave (Ruth) Ruter of Sioux Center, Iowa;
Daryl (Kim) Ruter of Clear Lake, Iowa; Arnie (Jennifer) Ruter of Arvada,
Colorado and Angela Pringnitz of Garner, Iowa. He also is survived by a very
special couple, Perry & Ellie Eekhoff. He had 19 Grandchildren: Marcus
(Jillian) Hubers, Jill (Patrick) Haspert, Tom (Valerie) Hubers, Jamie (Ryan)
Manke, Matt (Eileen) Ruter, Lucas (Kelsie) Ruter, Ellie (Kris) Pieper, Renee
(Justin) Forde, Ryan (Holly) Ruter, Shanell Ruter, Madison Moretz, Braxton
Moretz, Lydia (Dawson) Butler, Caleb Ruter, Anna Claire Ruter, Joshua Ruter,
Andrew Ruter, Kelsi Tobin, Jake (Nicole) Pringnitz. He is also survived by 24
great-grandchildren.
Glen was proceeded in death by his parents, brother, and sister.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Kanawha Youth Activity, 704 N
Sunset St, Kanawha, IA 50447 or Britt Area Food Bank, P.O. Box 243, Britt, IA
50423.