Ona Ruth Blood

Ona Ruth was born June 6, 1925 in Harvey, IL, the daughter of Thomas Tilden Riddle and Dorothy M. Weirick Riddle. She graduated in 1943 from Thornton Township High School in Harvey. She worked as a legal secretary until her marriage.

She married Nile Robert Blood of West Salem, IL, in 1946. He preceded her in death in 2002. Nile had enlisted in the army in 1942, first being place in the Army Special Training Program (ASTP) as an engineering student at Fordham University in New York City until 1944, then was moved to the infantry with the 104th Timberwolves Divisions, Company A-413. After their marriage one year after the end of WWII, Nile attended the University of Illinois at Urbana, completing his degree in civil engineering. They moved to Effingham, Illinois in 1949. They had a son, Thomas Lynn, and a daughter, Ellen Rae, during their time in Effingham. The family moved to Springfield in 1967.

Ona Ruth belonged to West Side Christian Church in Springfield, IL. She was a member of the Springfield Motor Boat Club. She was a member of the Springfield Marine Bank Mariner’s Club, and enjoyed monthly dining with the “Dinner Gang”, comprised of close former travel members of the Mariner’s Club. She had also been active in the Wives of Illinois Association of Highway Engineers and the Professional Engineer’s Association.

Ona Ruth’s greatest joy was her family and friends. She also enjoyed travel, yard work and gardening, dining out, and reading. She loved visiting with friends, and doted on her beloved “grand dog”, a Chihuahua named Gomez. For many years before her husband’s death, Ona Ruth and Nile, and occasionally their daughter, attended yearly reunions of the 104th Timberwolves Infantry Division.

In addition to her husband, Ona Ruth was preceded in death by her parents; Nile’s parents; brother Thomas Riddle and his wife Marjorie Riddle; sister-in-law Carol Blood Bowen and her husband Glenn Bowen; brother-in-law James J. Hon; and a former daughter-in-law, Susan Powers.

Ona Ruth is survived by daughter Ellen Rae Blood of Springfield, formerly of Naperville, IL, son Thomas Lynn Blood of Springfield, sister Shirley Hon of Manteno, IL; grandchildren Jesse Lynn Dodd-Evans, Lindsey Suzanne Blood, Jared Lee Blood Powers, and 8 great-grandchildren, all of Arkansas; 4 nephews, 3 nieces, several great-nieces and great-nephews, and several great-great-nieces.

Graveside Services to honor the life of Ona Ruth Blood will take place at 2 PM, Saturday, June 1, 2013 at the Moravian Cemetery in West Salem, IL, where Ona Ruth will be laid to rest next to her husband, Nile.

Family and friends are asked to go directly to the cemetery. Ingram Funeral Home of West Salem is entrusted with the graveside service arrangements. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.ingramfh.net.

A Memorial service will be held at a later date in Springfield, IL.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the American Red Cross in honor of the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Ct, or the Friends of St. John’s Hospital in Springfield.