Ruth Mutschler

Ruth Mutschler (Rau), 92, of Eureka, SD, passed away Thursday, May 2, 2024, at the Eureka Nursing Home.

A Funeral Service will be at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 13, 2024, at Zion Lutheran Church, Eureka, with Pastor Ryan Gage officiating.

Burial will be at the Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Eureka following the service.

A time of fellowship and luncheon will follow the burial at the church hall.

Visitation will be 3-5 p.m., Sunday, in the church basement in Eureka, with a prayer service at 5:00 p.m.  Visitation continues one hour before the service.

Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen, is in charge of arrangements. Family and friends may sign the online guestbook at www.schriversmemorial.com. Services will be live-streamed on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SchriversMemorial.

Ruth Rau was born on December 9, 1931, to Gust and Martha (Hirsch) Rau in Campbell County near Java, SD. She grew up on the family farm north of Java alongside 12 brothers and sisters, with her being the only red head of the family. Ruth attended country school and Java High School.

On June 5, 1955, Ruth was united in marriage to Marvin Mutschler in Eureka, SD. They moved to the Mutschler homestead northwest of Eureka after they married and she helped on the farm. The pair moved into Eureka in 1998. Sadly, Marvin passed away on May 8, 1999, and Ruth continued to reside in Eureka.

Ruth took pride in cooking for her family and loved doing so. She made sure nobody left hungry, and everybody got lunch at 4:00 with her homemade chocolate chip cookies! Some family favorites were her German food, especially strudels, dumplings, kuchen, cheese buttons, homemade egg noodles, butterhorns, sour cream cut-out cookies, rhubarb pie, and fried cinnamon rolls. Her favorite TV show was I Love Lucy. Nonetheless, the laundry had to be done every Monday and Thursday! She dearly loved spending time with her grandson, Jeremy, and taught him to play checkers. She also cherished spending time with her great-grandchildren.

Ruth loved the farm. Even after moving to town, she continued to come to the farm daily to tend to her garden, open gates to feed cattle and assist in moving farm equipment from field to field. Ruth raised chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigs, sheep and milked lots of cows.

In her seldom free time from her titles as mother and farmwife, she loved to embroider, make quilts for family members, go to polkafests, listen to old-time polka & waltz music (her favorite was The Little Girls Waltz), read, do word search puzzles, go to auction sales and go for her daily walks. Her owl collection grew to over 100 owls and she enjoyed coin collecting. She especially searched for state quarters and coins with the year in which her children, grandson, and great-grandchildren were born. Ruth loved gardening and canning; she was known for her dill pickles and tomato juice. Her favorite flowers were geraniums and roses.

Ruth was a Legion Auxiliary Member, a dedicated Zion Lutheran Church member, a WCLA member, and a Sunday School teacher.

Ruth is survived by her son Kervin Mutschler of Falcon, CO; daughters, Sherrie Mutschler of Aberdeen and Karen Mutschler of Eureka; son-in-law Greg Hoff of Eureka; one grandson Jeremy (Brittany) Hoff of Eureka; three great-grandchildren: Jerimany, Harlow, and Harper Hoff; one brother Stanley (Viola) Rau of Eureka; and one sister Janice Theis of Sioux Falls, SD.

Ruth was preceded in death by her parents; husband Marvin; daughter, Lona Hoff; brothers: Erwin Rau, Clarence Rau, Harvey Rau, Perry Rau, Leslie Rau, and Richard Rau (in infancy); sisters: Marilda Christensen, Ethline Fischer, Lavida Eberhart, and Lorraine Metzger; and one great-granddaughter Hazel Hoff.