Ruth Ann Weis

Ruth Ann Schaben was born on March 14, 1932, in Earling, Iowa, to Anton and Edith (Kobold) Schaben. Ruth's mother passed away shortly after her first birthday, her father later married Lucile (Morrisey). Ruth grew up in the faith at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Defiance, where she remained a lifelong member. A 1950 graduate of St. Peter's Catholic School, Ruth was a gifted musician who shared her talents through the choir, the high school orchestra as a violinist, and at the piano.

On January 29, 1951, Ruth was united in marriage to the love of her life, Robert "Bob" Weis. Together, they built a life rooted in faith and family, eventually settling in Defiance to raise their ten children. While her primary devotion was to her home, Ruth also served her community through her work at a variety of restaurants and as a compassionate home health aide.

Ruth was a woman of vibrant energy and many talents. She was a dedicated member of the Altar Society (President in 1970), a long time eucharistic minister, and found great joy in the simple pleasures of life: sewing, reading the newspaper, square dancing, and canning fruits and vegetables alongside Bob. Above all, she was the matriarch of an expansive, loving family. In her later years, her greatest joy was sharing stories and creating memories with her five generations of descendants. To have known Ruth was to have known a strong, independent woman who lived life by her own rules and possessed a laugh that could light up any room.

Ruth passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, on Monday, December 29, 2025, in Elk Horn, Iowa, at the age of 93 years, 9 months and 15 days.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Bob; two sons, Tom and Tony Weis; three grandchildren, Geoff Falkena, Melissa Mikkelsen, and Brad Chamberlain; one great grandchild, Charley Falkena; brothers, Bob, Tony Jr., Edwin, & Mal Schaben; sisters-in-law, Ardith Schaben, Ella Mae Schaben, Rita Schaben & Darlene Schaben and one brother-in-law, Marvin Campbell.

Those left to cherish her memory include her children: Bob (Donna) Weis, Jr. of Harlan, Sheila Mikkelsen (Ron) of Harlan, Joan (Jerry) Chamberlain of Harlan, Nancy Falkena (Mark) of Carroll, Jude Fox (Darcy) of Manilla, Ronda (Ted) Jansen of Aspinwall, Lisa (Bart) Sullivan of Dunlap, and Russ (Jessica) Weis of Cambridge; 27 grandchildren; 60 great-grandchildren; 4 great-great-grandchildren; siblings, Bernard Schaben of Denison, IA, Paul (Jane) Schaben of Carroll, IA, Mike (Jeannie) Schaben of Defiance, IA, Danny (Georgene) Schaben of Harlan, IA, Henry (Colleen) Schaben of Elkhorn, NE, Mary Campbell of Denison, IA, Rosie (Rich) Ditter of Florida; sister-in-law, Cindy Schaben of California and a host of extended family and dear friends.

A 1:00 PM Mass of Christian Burial was officiated by Rev. Andrew Windschitl and Rev. Clement Owusu at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Harlan, Iowa on Saturday, January 3, 2026. Ethan Weis, Jeannie Dirck, Jimmy Weis, Bart Falkena, Joe Lile, Kristy Jansen, Kurt Chamberlain, and Dan Erickson served as casket bearers. A burial was held following the funeral service at Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery in Defiance, Iowa.

Pauley Jones Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.