Their little angel in heaven

Mother & Ruth Mary - July 3, 1938

Esther and Tom were so excited when their first child, Ruth Mary, was born at the Jackson hospital at 3:50 pm on June 18, 1938. She weighed 8 pounds and was a beautiful baby girl with dark hair. Tom drove out to Freel and Neva’s farm to share the good news and then went to Esther’s parents for supper before returning to the hospital with red roses for Esther.

On August 17 & 20, 1938, they took Ruth to the doctor as she had been bothered with a cold for a few days. The doctor ordered them to use steam treatment for her cold.
Monday, August 22, was a hot day and Tom and the men were threshing flax. They decided to take Ruth back to the doctor as she was worse. They had Ruth baptized at the Jackson hospital and prepared to take her to Rochester. They left Jackson at 8:15 pm with Ann Vavuska, a nurse, riding along.

They ran into a terrible storm 10 miles out of Rochester. Branches and limbs of large trees were torn off but they drove through it all. They arrived at Saint Mary’s Hospital at 11:30 pm and Dr. Logan was working on Ruth in less than 15 minutes. Dr. Henholz was there by midnight. They tried to relieve the pressure in her head but it was to no avail.

They found a room at about 3 am and Esther was given medication (pain & sleeping pill). The doctor called Tom at about 3:30 am. Dr. Craig tapped her head and relieved pressure. Dr. Logan said they would try to operate 10 am Tuesday. When Tom got there before the scheduled surgery - he was informed they were going to inject air and dye into her head so they could x-ray. X-rays showed there was nothing they could do - as the malignant tumor was intermingled with the brain. Tom and Esther saw her as often as possible the rest of the day - and she passed away at 7 pm, Tuesday, August 23, 1935.

Friends, Alfred and Lela Kruse, came to the hospital as they happened to be visiting relatives in Rochester. Esther and Tom left for home the next morning - taking their precious little daughter’s body in a cardboard box in the back seat of their car to the Krause Funeral Home in Jackson to be prepared for burial and placed in a coffin. Visitation and viewing of the body was held in Tom and Esther’s living room and the funeral services were held at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church on August 25, 1938

On October 2, 1938, Esther and Tom observed their 3rd wedding anniversary. Friends and family helped them cope with their loss. After Ruth Mary’s death, Tom and his two brothers who lived in the Jackson area decided that they wanted their families all to belong to one church. So Tom, Freel, and George were confirmed and joined Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Jackson, Minnesota, on November 18, 1938.
  -Marita