Ruth Nyman

1917 - 2011

Ruth Nyman, 94, died peacefully Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011. Graveside service: 10 a.m. Wednesday in Greenwood Memorial Park. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family gratefully requests donations be made in Ruth's name to The Elisabeth Mitchell Charitable Trust for Camperships, Nakanawa Camps, 1084 Camp Nakanawa Road, Crossville, Tenn. 38571, campties.org. She was born Ruth Anna Marie on Sept. 13, 1917, in Moline, Ill., to Maja and Axel Hellberg. Ruth enriched the lives of countless people with her creativity and sense of humor. Her hearty, appreciative laugh lifted the spirits of everyone around her, and her flare for showmanship could inspire, in any crowd, a sense of liveliness and good cheer. Ruth valued her Swedish heritage, and no one who ever heard her sing to a Christmas tree with a cup of Swedish Glogg would ever doubt her enthusiasm for life. In high school, Ruth met Randall Nyman of Rockford, Ill., who she later married in 1939. It was a marriage of uncommon devotion lasting 72 years. The couple lived in Chicago and New Orleans while Randall completed his medical training and, during the war, were stationed at Fort Hood in Texas. Deciding to make Texas home, they moved to Fort Worth in 1949 where they raised three daughters and Randall practiced pediatrics for 39 years. Ruth's family and community were the beneficiaries of her artistic talents, love of music, and unflagging optimism. She involved herself in the activities of her children and made her home a favorite gathering place for their friends. She was a Musagete Mother for many years at Paschal High School and a volunteer for John Peter Smith Hospital and the Women's Medical Auxiliary. Having loved summer camp as a girl, Ruth was the inspiration behind the gift to her daughters of summers at Camp Nakanawa, beginning a family tradition that has benefited three generations of girls. Ruth and Randall loved being on the road together. After his retirement in 1988, they crisscrossed the country in their motor home visiting family and friends. Their summers were spent in Bar Harbor, Maine, and Blowing Rock, N.C. Over the years, they had homes in Florida and Kerrville before moving back to Fort Worth, then finally to Dallas. She was predeceased by her husband on her 94th birthday just over seven weeks earlier. Survivors: Daughter and son-in-law, Randi and Edward Halsell of Dallas; daughters, Jane Nyman of Denver, Colo., and Deanie Nyman of Los Angeles, Calif.; grandchildren, Christine Tesmer (Chris), Susan Halsell, Karen Halsell, M.D. (John Ashton), Will Keating and Marie Keating; and great-grandchildren, Jenna, Sarah Kate, Alexa, Blake, Sofia and Ella.