Ruth DeLaine Noem

Ruth DeLaine Noem, age 77, of Bryant, SD, passed away on Monday, October 27, 2025 at Brookings Health System, in Brookings, SD. Funeral Services will be at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bryant, SD. Pastor Dave Nerdig will officiate. The family is requested to meet at the church on Saturday by 9:30 a.m. for a prayer service.
Visitation will be at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bryant on Friday from 5-7 p.m. and prior to services at the church on Saturday.
Burial will be at Scandinavian Cemetery in rural Bryant, SD.
Ruth DeLaine Tarum was born to Evelyn Horn and Dayton Tarum on August 14, 1948 in Watertown, South Dakota. She was raised surrounded by love and flower beds full of iris, tiger lilies, and bleeding hearts on their farm near Hazel, SD. She attended church and Sunday School and confirmation at New Hope Church and was a student and cheerleader for the Hazel Mustangs. At a high school basketball game, her stepfather, Baine Arneson, pointed to a group of lanky young men on the opposing Bryant Scotties basketball team and said, "Those are Betty's boys. They're nice boys." After a year and a half of college at South Dakota State University, Ruth married one of those boys, Win Noem, on June 28th, 1969, and her younger sister Mary married another, Harley Noem, twelve years later.
Ruth was a devoted wife to Win and mother to her children, Brookies, Erin, and Amber. She worked alongside her husband on their dairy farm east of Bryant for 25 years, worked as secretary at Our Redeemer Lutheran church in Bryant. She later joined the cooking staff at the Hamlin school, then worked until her retirement at Bryant State Bank, developing lifelong friendships in both places of work, which she treasured throughout her life. Ruth also enjoyed summers working with young coworkers at the Park Drive Inn in Lake Norden and caring for residents as a cook at the Lake Norden nursing home for many years. She competed in bowling and dart leagues and mastered games on the Atari and Super Nintendo. She was a talented seamstress who sewed her own wedding dress, tailored cheerleading outfits and countless bridesmaid and prom dresses, and designed clothes and home décor for her family. Ruth was always creating-designing beautiful outdoor gardens and patios, remodeling and decorating her family home, cooking gourmet meals, and fashioning clothes for her children and grandchildren's baby dolls-for her own and others' joy.
Ruth was the best grandma and treasured every moment with her ten grandchildren, attending music concerts and sporting events, cheering and soaking up every performance and play, even when she didn't understand the rules. She brought her family and friends laughter, modeled unconditional love, and when she set her mind to a task, no tree was too big and no ladder too high, no miniature too small to keep her from completing it. She loved to play board games, complete challenging puzzles, and cheer on the Minnesota Twins. She was so many things to so many people and lived life as her authentic self.
Ruth leaves her legacy of love to her husband, Win Noem; three children, Brookes (Kristen Walrath-Noem) Noem, of Brandon, SD; Amber (Blake) Jensen, of Bryant, SD, and Erin (Mark) Stevenson, of Lake Norden, SD; three brothers, Rodney Tarum, of Lake Norden, SD; Jim (Denise) Tarum, of Prosper, TX, and Perry (Charlotte) Arneson, of Hurdle Mills, NC; three sisters, Judy (Mike) Meyer, of Hayti, SD; Martha (Gary) Wiseman, of Bryant, SD; and Mary Noem, of Sioux Falls, SD; ten grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Ruth is preceded in death by her parents, Dayton and Evelyn; step-father Brian Arneson, and one brother, Mark Arneson.
She carried the loss of her dad with her throughout her life, but now that grieving has been relieved and she is at rest. She will be missed dearly and remembered lovingly by all whose lives she has touched.
Arrangements by Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel www.crawfordosthus.com DeSmet and Bryant
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