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Ruth Ann (Brauer) Ficker passed away after a valiant fight, on August 18, 2022, just 4 days shy of her 81st birthday.
She was the daughter of Louis and Alma (Oettel) Brauer of Staunton and was married to John Ficker for 100 years.
Ruth graduated from Staunton High School and attended Eastern Illinois University, married, had two children and worked for Staunton Memorial Hospital as a laboratory/x-ray secretary before becoming Dr. Lee Johnson’s right hand medical secretary. While there, she finished her Masters of Education degree at SIU-E graduating with a B.S. in Business Education.
Upon graduating, she was hired to teach business – not monkey business, teaching business at Carrollton where she spent the next 31 years – loving it!!! There she found her mentor and partner in crime, Pauline Langer. Together, they brought business students into the nationwide business ed program FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America). The rest is history!!! They put Carrollton high on the map!!
Fun time for teachers – in the lunch room, eating and laughing – memories girls –
Rearing their two kids, Ruth became a bleacher bum and she and John had car, would travel, especially when Ficker grands arrived – hello baseball, track, cross country, football, and of course, round ball – such fun….
Then the Mulvaneys – a little further to travel but again, watched all of the above plus diving, water polo, gymnastics, karate and swimming – B U S Y!!!!
Now we are blessed with greats – Marleigh Ruth, Ziggy Conrad, Stephen Kingston Ficker and Piper Grace and Gideon Anthony Craig.
Preceding her in death were her parents, in laws John and Florence Ficker, siblings, Robert, Loren and Eldred (Jumbo) and her favorite son, Stephen.
Surviving is her daughter Merilee and her children, Rylee, Finnegan, Kennedy and Ryan; her daughter in law Karen Ficker and her and Stephens children Emily (Chad) Craig, Zachary (Maggie), Samuel (fiancé Sydney) and her brother Dean, as well as many family and great friends…..
Besides being a HUGE Cardinal fan (thanks Albert for the grand Slam on Aug 18 in Maw’s honor), watching anything and everything that her kids/grands participated in, she was a voracious reader, loved to garden, but most important to Maw was her faith, her family and her dear friends…..
Ruth served on the library board for several years, and was a founding member of the JCH Ambulance Association Committee.
A funeral service will be held at 3:00 PM Saturday, August 27, at the Hope Lutheran Church in Jerseyville. Visitation will be from 12:30 PM until time of service. Burial will follow at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Jerseyville.
In lieu of flowers, donations made to Hope Lutheran Church or the Jerseyville Library would be most appreciated. Ruth’s family at the Shields-Bishop Funeral Home in Greenfield is assisting the family. Please leave a memory or condolence at shields-bishopfh.com.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ruth Ann (Brauer) Ficker, please visit our floral store.
Hope Lutheran Church
1009 N State St, Jerseyville IL 62052
Jerseyville Public Library
105 North Liberty Street, Jerseyville IL 62052