Ruth Delia Schafer

1939 - 2025

Ruth Delia Schafer

April 13, 1939 - October 3, 2025

Ruth Delia Schafer, 86, of Bismarck, N.D., passed away October 3, 2025, at Missouri Slope where she had resided since December 2022.

Ruth was the only daughter born to Christ and Katherine Unruh on April 13, 1939, on the family homestead near Glen Ullin, N.D. The family moved south of Wing, N.D., to farm until 1956.

She married the late Edwin E. Seidel on August 27, 1956 in Bismarck N.D. Born to this marriage were four children: Linda Seidel, Jim Seidel (Kathy), Deborah Berglund (John) and Bettijean Olson. Upon dissolution of this marriage, Ruth married Ray Schafer on October 4, 2002, in Bismarck N.D. They were married for 20 years until his death on October 9, 2022.

Ruth as an adult worked at getting her GED as that was important to her. She later went to work at Bismarck Hospital, currently Sanford Health. She worked in the Dietary Department for 17 years until 1983. She enjoyed many friendships through the years with this job and some that continued throughout her lifetime. She then began her unlikely career in construction as a pipefitter and was with the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local #430. She worked at various locations throughout the United States including working at the new Denver International Airport. We soon learned she would never retire in Phoenix as she would talk about how hot it was when she was there.

Ruth was an outstanding seamstress, sewing clothing for herself and her children. She made many quilts for her home and her family, and even sewing about 50 Cabbage Patch outfits one Christmas for a granddaughter.

Ruth loved to bake and cook. Christmas always brought buckets, yes kept in old gallon ice cream pails, of cookies. Holidays and family get-togethers were full of favorite recipes including chicken and homemade dumplings. She made all of the traditional German foods that her family loved. Her grandchildren looked forward to making ice cream the old-fashioned way with her. Another fond memory was helping to make homemade doughnuts using her mother's recipe. She loved to garden, can vegetables, and make homemade jelly. The family favorite was chokecherry.

Ruth loved animals. Especially her beloved dogs Lady, Princess and Dee. She always kept the birds fed in the neighborhood and made many specialty birdhouses for her backyard.

She loved to help and serve others, volunteering at the Burleigh County Senior Center for a number of years. She also enjoyed helping out at her church, Good Shepherd Lutheran.

She is survived by her four children; seven grandchildren, Jonathan Kerzmann (Linda), Andrew Kerzmann, Lisa Seidel, Nancy Mixon, Trent Seidel, Mandy Cobb (Kevin) and Mitchell Kuntz. Sixteen great-grandchildren all of which were her greatest love, pride and joy. She also left many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Armin, Reuben, Rudolph and Roland; and her half siblings, John, Emma, Lydia, Ida, Frieda, Ottillia, Rosina and Helen.

Services will be held at Good Shepherd Lutheran, Church 106 Osage Ave, Bismarck, N.D., on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at 11 a.m. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. A luncheon will follow the service. Burial will follow the luncheon at Fairview Cemetery.

Visit www.eastgatefuneral.com to share memories, view the service livestream, and sign the online guestbook.