Mrs. Ruth Evelyn Priem

1931 - 2007

Funeral services were Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007, for Ruth Evelyn Fessler Priem who died Jan. 15, 2007, in Gardnerville, Nev.



Ruth was born June 14, 1931, in Crane, Mo., to The Rev. Thurias and Laura Fessler, who were homeland missionaries in the Ozarks. She and her husband, The Rev. Dr. Roy I. Priem, moved to South Lake Tahoe in 1992, following his retirement. They were both active members of the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center.



Ruth had a love for education and passing her learning on to others. She was valedictorian of her high school class in Clarinda. She went on to gain her registered nursing degree in St. Joseph, Mo., followed by a bachelor's degree in zoology from North Central College, Naperville, Ill.



Ruth met her husband of 51 years on a train to Aurora, Ill., where she worked in the hospital and he served as a student pastor. They were married June 12, 1955, in Clarinda and had two children. Especially admired for her skill in the operating room, Ruth's nursing career continued to develop as she served as a teacher of nursing and a clinical nurse specialist in charge of 43 hospital beds.



She freely shared her love of music, which touched the hearts of many lives across the United States. As a soprano soloist, she often sang in concerts and church services. She enjoyed conducting church choirs, most recently at Hope Lutheran Church of the Sierra. As a violinist, she played professionally in the Scranton Philharmonic and York Symphony, both in Pennsylvania, the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra and the Symphony West in Cleveland, Ohio. She also served as concertmaster of the Carson City Symphony.



Ruth relied on her faith in God to lead her and guide her throughout her life as she faithfully and unfailingly served in her role as pastor's wife. In church, she could often be found directing vacation Bible school, writing plays for women's groups or teaching and playing the piano for Sunday school.



She had a love for travel, which always included a component for education. The first major family trip was the Holy Land to visit the places where Jesus walked. Other trips took her to walk the Great Wall of China, Greece, Europe, Scandinavia and the other 50 states of the U.S.



She is survived by her husband of 51 years, The Rev. Dr. Roy I. Priem, South Lake Tahoe; children, Cynthia A. Priem, Fort Wright, Ky., and Curtis Roy Priem, Fremont, Calif.; brother, William Fessler, Tall Timber, Md.; and her twin brother, Dr. Myron Fessler, San Diego.



Viewing was at 1 p.m. and funeral services were at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21, both at the Squaw Valley Chapel, United Church of Christ, 440 Squaw Peak Road, near the Squaw Valley USA ski area cable car.
In lieu of flowers, memorial may be made to Hospice of the Lake, 2092 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe, Calif., 96150, or Carson City Symphony, 191 Heide Circle, Carson City, Nev., 89701.



For more information, please call (530) 544-0820 or FitzHenry's Funeral Home in Gardnerville at (775) 782-1999.