Longtime Magnolia resident Ruth Geddes, 95, passed away peacefully at the Columbia Lutheran Home on April 13, 2017. Ruth was the daughter of Elmer Noltemeier and Lillie Trautman of Memphis, Tennessee, where she born on February 2, 1922. Ruth was raised in Memphis attending the Redeemer Lutheran Church with both her parents and grandparents. After completing high school, Ruth moved around the eastern part of the country before discovering Washington in the early 1950s, when she came to work as a nanny for a family friend. She fell in love with Washington’s cooler climate, the beautiful mountains and beaches, and the men. A Southern girl, Ruth always preferred very warm weather, but she never missed the high humidity of Memphis. Ruth and husband Dave settled in Magnolia in 1962 and Ruth continued her endless quest to explore the great outdoors in the camper, the “Geddes-Get-Away.” Besides hiking and camping, she was an avid gardener, traveler, and loved spending time with husband Dave’s sisters, nieces, nephews, and children.
Ruth’s primary occupation was in manufacturing, first in meat packing, then in her favorite job, making candy. She worked in three different candy companies in the Seattle area and would always bring candy home to share with friends and relatives. After she retired she reconnected with the Lord and joined Magnolia Lutheran Church. Bible study and church activities were added to her busy life. She always found time to visit her favorite place in Washington, the Northern Cascades. Ruth and her friend, Jim Crosser, also spent many evenings walking her beloved dachshunds around Magnolia and chatting with neighbors. In later years, Ruth could usually be found puttering in her yard and at-tending to all of her flowers, paying special attention to her favorite roses.
Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, Dave, in 2014 and her brother, Paul Noltemeier, in 2001. She is survived by many members of the Geddes family of Washington and by members of the family of niece Kathryn Noltemeier Sanders of Memphis. The Geddes and Sanders family would like to thank the Carol Shafer family and all the loving caregivers and medical personal that came into contact with our wonderful Ruth during her precious life. God bless you all; Ruth is with her Jesus.