RUTH LABER (HANSON)
Ruth Hanson was born October 25, 1930, in Woodworth, North Dakota, Wadsworth Township, to Vernon and Martha Sophia Hanson. Ruth was the first of five children and their only daughter.
After graduating high school Ruth attended teaching college. After graduation she taught at a rural school in a farmhouse community and boarded with a student’s family. After a year teaching Ruth decided to move to Southern California, living with her aunt Mae and uncle Jiggs while working for Douglas Aircraft. After a year Ruth grew homesick for her family and returned to North Dakota and teaching. While attending a dance hall one weekend she met Bob Laber, who was captivated by this spirited redhead. Bob secured a date, for the following weekend, only to be stood up. Bob determined to get an explanation for Ruth’s no show, obtained an address for the farmhouse school where she taught and Bob appeared at the door, at the end of the day, much to Ruth’s surprise! After much discussion and an apology, Ruth was moved by Bob’s determination, gentle demeanor, and tender heart! Less than a year later they were married on October 30, 1952, at St. John’s Catholic Church in New Rockford, North Dakota. Ruth and Bob’s first child Guy was born a year later and Steven, Jayne, and James (Jim) followed during the next five years. While pregnant with their 5th child Ruth and Bob decided to leave the life of farming and living in North Dakota and follow Ruth’s parents, Vernon and Sophia Hanson, out to Southern California. Robin was born 6 months later and Douglas (Doug) 3 years later.
The fall of 1963 Ruth and Bob were transferred to Tulare Ca. Ruth was more than active with 6 children and life revolving around St. Aloysius School and Catholic Church. Ruth was an active member and officer for Catholic Daughters of America and sang in the choir at church. Ruth stayed busy supporting all her very energetic children who were involved in various sports, band, choir, swim team, various service clubs, paper routes, and restaurant bussers, while chauffeuring every one of them to all those places and events. Ruth could be found many a night burning the midnight oil at her sewing machine, so that the girls would have their beautiful dresses or gorgeous outfits for all those special occasions.
Ruth returned to the workforce in late 1960’s. She was employed by Jostens in Visalia, a short stint at Tulare District Hospital, before being hired by Tulare Police Department as a full-time dispatcher. She later left to work at City Hall for the City Planning Department. In the year 1976, Ruth was named Top City Employee of the Year!
Bob and Ruth purchased the Greyhound Bus Agency, which Bob ran while Ruth did the books to help out until they handed off to their son Guy. Ruth and Bob also opened a laundromat in Tulare and a second in Farmersville CA which kept them busy for many years.
Ruth and Bob loved to travel America and into Canada, so they purchase a 5th wheel travel trailer to see the country. They enjoyed many fun hours going with their motor home group to various destinations for shorter stints. In 1996 they took a summer to park their 5th wheel in North Washington state to be camp hosts in Crawford State Park, where Ruth led tours down into Gardner Cave 3 times a day.
Ruth and Bob remained very active members throughout the years with the Elks and the Emblem Club social events. Ruth also loved her Norwegian heritage and was an active member of the Son’s of Norway. Many of Ruth’s birthdays were spent with family who gathered to make lefse, Ruth’s favorite Norwegian treat!
Ruth, who had been raised Lutheran eventually decided to attend First Lutheran Church in Tulare where she became a very active member. Ruth loved bible studies, singing solos, church functions and preparing meals to support various church events. Ruth eventually influenced Bob to attend First Lutheran Church with her, to which he came to love as well. Ruth’s heart was broken when Bob passed away in the summer of 2009 from bone cancer after 57 years of marriage.
Ruth’s true love of family and friends always played out in her life with her various destination visits. One of her most memorable was her visit with Guy and her aunt Jane to Norway, where they stayed with family relatives and toured the country. Ruth always had a place at her table for anyone who showed up to visit. No one who showed up was an inconvenience, you always mattered to her. No one could love you deeper, frustrate you more, be upset by your hurtful behavior or poor choices, yet Ruth quickly and completely forgave you when you apologized. If you revisited a bad choice or mistake you made that hurt her, because you were still feeling guilty, she would either say “that has long been forgotten” or, “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Ruth truly modeled Christian love, you were completely forgiven.
The last 5 years of Ruth’s life slowly took her memory. There were glimpses of recollection which made our hearts leap, but Alzheimer’s tried hard to have the last word! Yet the one thing it couldn’t take was her knowledge that Jesus Christ was her Lord and Savior. I always told her that that was her winning ticket home to heaven! The night she passed the nurse told her son Doug she heard my mom and looked in her room to see her sitting up in bed singing a praise song, which we believe to be, “Here I am Lord”. The nurse gave mom her evening meds and came back by her room several minutes later, only to find Ruth had passed and had had the last word!
Ruth is survived by 4 children, Jayne Finkbohner (Bob), Jim Laber (Ruby), Robin Laber (Gerry) and Doug Laber (Anna), and daughter-in-law Maryanne Laber, 12 grandchildren and 19 Great Grandchildren. Brother Richard Hanson and sister-in-law, Carol Hanson.
Ruth is preceded in death by the love of her life, Bob Laber and her 2 oldest son’s Guy Laber and Steven Laber. Ruth’s brother’s Louis Hanson, Alred Hanson, and Vernon Hanson, sisters-in-law’s, Joan Hanson, Dorothy Hanson, and Jan Hanson.