Ruth Rose Skakles

Our mother passed on to dance with the angels and her husband Billy on her 66th wedding anniversary at the age of 87. Ruth was the second child of Terrance and Rose Clark, born May 25, 1926, in Anaconda. She had an older sister Leonore, and younger brother Terry whom she adored. She was a beautiful child whose mother curled her auburn hair in ringlets and sewed her dresses to look like Shirley Temple. Deep down she was a tom boy at heart. She graduated as an honors student from Anaconda High School in 1944. She entered the Carrol College Cadet nursing program where she met the love of her life Billy Skakles. The war ended before she graduated in 1947, so she did not have to fulfill her service duties and graduated as a Registered Nurse. Ruth married Billy, November 8th 1947 in Anaconda. They had 3 lovely daughters, Nonie, Jayne and Twinkie. Ruth started her nursing career at St Ann's Hospital in the ER, choosing to work night shift so she could be with her young family. She took on the task of managing the county Mountain View Nursing Home, which merged with the Community Nursing Home where she was the director of the Nursing Home for a short period. Also, during her nursing career she was a specialty nurse that donated her time to in home nursing care free of charge. She helped friends and family and doctors called on her to make house calls to patients in need. She believed nursing wasn't just her job it was her calling. She finished her career at Galen as a charge nurse. Ruth's three daughters were blessed to have a wonderful mother who was there for everything in their lives. She had them practice dancing every day, she was gifted with making costumes, and winning first place at any Valentine box competition there was! She was a wonderful writer with beautiful handwriting and loved pretty stationary and pens. She had a creative mind in arts and crafts, not to mention she made the best scrambled eggs on the planet! She was a Girl Scout leader and excelled in working with her daughters. She never learned to drive but would hop on a bus to go to Butte to shop for the day with her girls. She raised us to be responsible and thoughtful of others and to be the women she knew we could be. She was a devoted daughter who lived next door to her parents. She was elated to become a grandmother with 5 beautiful grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. She was affectionately named "Pink Grandma" by her oldest granddaughter Airika. She was a wonderful grandmother attending basketball, baseball, and football games, cheerleading, dance recitals, ice skating - you name it - she was there. She suffered a major stroke in 2004 at age 79. She was paralyzed on her right side. She never complained and fought to live everyday with an iron will. She was preceded in death, by her husband, Billy Skakles, her parents, Terrance and Rose Clark, her sister, Leonore Kerkoff, sister in law, Ruth Ann Clark, brother and sister in law, Jimmy and Peggy Skakles, Oren and Catherine Evans, and Joe and Gertie Thompson She is survived by her daughters, Nonie Swan, Jayne(Larry) Krizan, Twinkie (Gary) Blaz. Granchildren Airika (Rick) Waible, Tyson (Kelly) Blaz, Teagen Blaz, Taryn (Zach) Sherbo, Weston Krizan. Brother, Terry Clark, brother in law, Vince Kerkoff. Great Grand children, Kennedy and Zac Waible, Cecily, Abbi, Deakon Blaz, Rowen and Chotte Sherbo, Xander Krizan. As well as many nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held Wedneday, November 13, 2013 from 2:00 to 6;00 pm with Rosary following at 6:30pm at Longfellow Finnegan Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be held Thursday, November 14, 2013 at Holy Family Church in Anaconda at 10:30am. Memorials may be made to the charity of the donor's choice. We are lucky and truly grateful to call her our mother- she was beautiful, loving, fiery, strong- willed, kind and generous - everything a woman should be. Fly high with the angels!

Visitation

NOV 13. 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM (MST)

Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home 107 Oak St. Anaconda, MT 59711

Rosary

NOV 13. 6:30 PM (MST)

Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home 107 Oak St. Anaconda, MT 59711

Mass of Christian Burial

NOV 14. 10:30 AM (MST)

Holy Family Catholic Church 217 W. Pennsylvania Ave. Anacoonda, MT 59711

Graveside Service

NOV 14. 12:30 PM (MST)

Mount Olivet Cemetery 5th St. & Poplar St. Anaconda, MT 59711