Ruth M. Hudson

West Des Moines

Ruth Margarette Busby Hudson, 91, formerly of Waterloo and Mount Ayr, died Friday, Aug. 19, at Fountain West Health Care Center. Her life will be celebrated at a service Thursday, Aug. 25, at 2 p.m. at McLaren’s Resthaven Chapel, 801 19th St., West Des Moines. Inurnment will be in the Resthaven Mausoleum.

Ruth was born Jan. 4, 1920, near Diagonal to Cecil and Almeda Ruby Busby. She attended a one-room school near their farm home and graduated from Mount Ayr High School in 1937. She and Robert Maurice Hudson were married April 9, 1939, in the Mount Ayr Methodist Church, and their devotion to each other was to last 72 years until Bob’s death May 23, 2011. In 1954, they moved to Waterloo, where Ruth was a secretary for the Waterloo Community School District. They were residents of the Lodge of Ashworth from September 2003 until March 2011.

Ruth and Bob were lifelong Methodists and were lovers of music. They participated in many church and musical activities in both Mount Ayr and Waterloo, and Ruth often performed as a soprano soloist. They also were longtime members and officers in the Order of Eastern Star and White Shrine.

Ruth was an accomplished seamstress and enjoyed all kinds of needlework.

She and Bob were proud of the accomplishments of their daughters, grandsons and great-grandchildren. They rarely missed musical performances by their grandsons in Cedar Rapids and at UNI and were grateful to have attended the college graduations and weddings of all four of their grandsons.

Ruth is survived by two daughters, Beverley Duffy of Des Moines and Mary Taylor and husband David of Webster Groves, MO; four grandsons, Mark Duffy of Des Moines, Joel Duffy and wife Krista of Marion, Brian Baetz and wife Jenny of Webster Groves, MO, and Jonathan Baetz and wife Karen of Walnut Creek, CA; and seven great-grandchildren, Brian’s children, Zachary and Jacqueline Baetz; Jonathan’s children, Julia, Nicholas and Trevor Baetz; and Joel’s daughters, Cailin and Rachel Duffy .

Also surviving are four step grandsons, Gil Taylor of Chicago, Randy Taylor of Downers Grove, IL, Kevin Taylor of Alameda, CA, and Patrick Taylor of Lake Quivera, KS, and eight step great-grandchildren.

Ruth was preceded in death by her husband Bob; her parents; her brothers, John and Ralph Busby, and her sister, Bettie Shaffer.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Red Cross or to St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Waterloo.