Ruth L. Burrows

Ruth Burrows of Ankeny died Sept. 6, 2018 at Ramsey Village after a valiant fight against old age. Ruth was born Oct. 15, 1925 on the family farm outside Glen Haven, WI. She was the youngest of six children born to Matt and Anna (Ackermann) Vogt. Her father died when she was six. Raised during the depression, life was hard, but she had many great stories of "making due" with what they had. In 1946, Ruth traveled alone on the train to San Diego, CA to marry her high school sweetheart, Howard Burrows, who was in the Navy. After his service, Ruth and Howard, a mechanic/crane operator, lived in Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska where he worked on many bridges along I-80, I-35, and I-235. In 1962, they gave up their gypsy lifestyle and settled in Ankeny. She raised six children, wintered in Texas, and traveled far. She loved spending time with her kids, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. After Howard's death in 1995, she made the senior center her second home, as she walked there every day until last year. In 2001, she was named Ankeny's volunteer of the year. Ruth loved to bake, especially during the holidays. Her molasses cookies were a family favorite. She loved candy, preferred dessert first, and believed pie was for breakfast. Ruth will be greatly missed by all. She is preceded in death by her husband Howard, two sons, John and Dale, her parents Matt and Anna Vogt, two brothers, Lawrence Vogt and LaVern Vogt, and two sisters, Dorothy Johnson and Winifred Kirschbaum. She is survived by four children; Karen Alexander, Tom Burrows, Steve (Patty) Burrows, and Howie Burrows, two daughter-in-laws, Muoi Burrows and Marilyn Burrows, 16 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and her dog, Maggie. A special thank you to Ramsey Village and St. Croix Hospice for the care and support they provided Ruth in the last leg of her journey.