Ruth Ann Van Stelle

She was born in Chicago, Illinois to Everett and Gladys (Solle) Cooper a few days after Pearl Harbor was bombed. She was one of four children and is survived by her sister Grace (Loyd) Smith and her sister and brother in-laws Sas (Ed) Cooper, Carolyn (Jim) Cooper, Katie (Bob) Ten Pas, Jeanette (Rev. Donald) Taws, Joyce (Harry) Van Stelle, Joyce (Rev. John) Kersies, Margene (Ralph) Paarlberg, Hank (Jean) Huizenga, Marie (Willem) Beijes, Louise (Jim) Huizenga, and Jacque (Terry) Vander Slik. Ruth was part of the Dutch community who had settled in Englewood, and she attended Chicago Christian High School there and later attended and graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan before moving to Tucson in 1965 with her first husband, Rev. John Huizenga, whom she had married in 1963.

After John passed away in 1968, she was married the following year to James (Jim) Van Stelle. The two celebrated over 34 years of marriage before Jim passed away. They both worked in their family-owned plumbing supply business, Plumbers’ Specialty Co., with their son Michael Van Stelle. Their years together and many of the years after his passing were filled with much time spent with their church community and with travelling, including numerous road trips to and from the Midwest, California, and Oregon, and to many national parks, as well as trips to the Caribbean, Mexico, the Middle East, Europe, and China.

Ruth loved to drive and was the proud recipient of only one moving traffic violation in her lifetime (at age 63). She played the piano and organ and sang tenor in the choir and loved to sing The Messiah at Christmastime. She was an ardent fan of the University of Arizona Wildcats basketball team especially during the Lute Olson-Steve Kerr years. Ruth was known for her outgoing personality and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know people and enjoyed (usually) robust conversations about theology, politics, and social issues and was willing (usually) to end the conversation with a friendly acknowledgement that it was alright to disagree and a reminder that we were not going to solve all the world’s problems in one conversation.

She is survived by all four of her children—Paul, Jane, Kate and Mike Van Stelle, all three of her children’s spouses, Sue, Cisco, and Donita, all seven of her grandchildren—Morgan, Jenna, Danae, Rafael, Gail, Claire, and Sofia, and by her new great-grandchild, Olivia, as well as dozens of her nieces and nephews and their spouses and their children and grandchildren. Ruth also liked to count her blessings. Above all, Ruth was known for her generous commitment and support for all things she held dearly and believed in deeply.

Please join the family for a gathering at The Village Church at 1926 N Cloverland Ave starting after 130 pm to share stories and conversations about Ruth.

In lieu of flowers you may make a donation to the Refugee Immigrant Ministries at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 2450 E Fort Lowell RD, Tucson, AZ, 85719.

I Corinthians 10:31-- So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.