Ruby C. Wilke

1939 - 2025

Ruby C. Wilke

July 19, 1939 - October 25, 2025

Ruby C. Wilke, 86, of Holdrege passed away Saturday, October 25, 2025 at Holdrege Memorial Homes in Holdrege, Neb. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Friday, October 31, 2025 at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Holdrege, with Pastor Kenton Birtell officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Inurnment will be held at a later date.

Ruby Carol Housel Wilke, a woman who wore many hats during her 86 years of life on earth.

She was born in Lincoln, Neb., on July 19, 1939, to Loretta and Eugene Housel. Being raised pretty much as an only child, she did have a much older half-brother, Genie.

As both a child and an adult, Ruby had several very close friends that she enjoyed spending time with such as Phyllis, Betsy and Edee. As an adult, she and her MRS girls, Marge, Marian, Norma, Phyllis, Florence, and Donna shared many adventures together over the years.

Growing up in Lincoln, hanging out with friends is where the love of her life, Kermit Dean Wilke, found her and later married her June 9, 1957.

During Ruby and Kermit's 68 years of marriage, they were blessed with four children, Curtis, Deborah, Cynthia, and Robert. They enjoyed their lives together working, learning, traveling, and exploring all that their world offered them.

Ruby's many hats included but not limited to wearing hats she would match up to Kermit's restored antique cars. Wearing them on many car tours that spanned across America.

Being a Proverbs 31 woman; wife, mother and grandmother, Ruby obtained a master's degree in Home Economics all the while she worked alongside Kermit being his assistant as a Farm Manager, farmer's wife, Extension agent, Census taker, working election polls, helping seniors file taxes, participating in various health studies, sewing quilts with church ladies, working at the church thrift store, teaching cooking and couponing classes at the community college.

She also was involved leading Cub Scouts, Campfire girls, and 4-H. When she wasn't busy outside of the home, she liked working crossword puzzles, quilting, sewing clothes, gardening, couponing, reading, and watching old movies.

Ruby enjoyed cooking and canning. Creating recipes of her own by using a recipe as an inspiration and changing it to make it healthier and tastier. Her family looked forward to when she made cinnamon rolls, apple butter, apple crisp, porcupine meatballs, pecan, strawberry and chocolate pies.

Ruby and Kermit snow birded for 23 years in their Bounder motorhome, in addition to all the other vacations and car tours with family and friends throughout the years. Their travels took them across the continental United States plus Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Mexico and Germany.

While Ruby may not have liked olives of any kind, she did enjoy black licorice, cherry nut ice cream, dressing up, Gone with the Wind, her family and friends.

Ruby leaves behind her husband, Kermit and their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Curtis Wilke and wife, Bambi, their children and grands: daughter, Nicole, son, Justin and wife Yesenia. Their children: Michael, Joshua, Alexa, Daniel, and David. Cyndy Wieland and husband, Myrl. Their children: son, JR, wife Casie and their children, Payne, Mason, Layden and Kinleigh. Daughter, Tyler, her husband, Anthony. Robert, otherwise known as Bob Wilke and his wife Ann. Their children and spouses: daughter, Haley husband, Travis, and Son, Christian wife, Arleigh.

Ruby will join her parents, Loretta, Eugene and Otto; parents by marriage, George and Vera; baby daughter, Deborah; baby grandson, Ryan, and other family and friends in heaven.

WE LOVE YOU AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN!

Memorials are kindly suggested to Holdrege Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church. Condolences may be shared online at www.osrfh.com. Services are entrusted to O'Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral and Cremation Services.