Ruth Schesvold

1922 - 2016

Ruth Geraldine Burns Schesvold

February 16, 2016

Ruth Schesvold, 93, of North Fort Myers died February 16, 2016, at Hope Hospice of Cape Coral. She was born Ruth Geraldine Burns in Oak Park, Illinois, to Christina Morphy Burns of Cork, Ireland, and Frank Burns of Schenectady, New York .

A graduate of DePaul University, she moved from the suburbs of Chicago to Santa Monica, California, in 1948 to work for Rand Corporation in Santa Monica, California. At the time Rand had only one contract with the Air Force. By 1986 when Ruth retired as the Administrator of the Economics Department, Rand had grown into an enormous research organization and the Economics Department alone had 90 research scientists.

Ruth married Orland S. Schesvold in 1965 in Malibu, California, where they lived until they moved to North Fort Myers in 1986. Orland preceded her in death in 2004. Although Ruth and Orland had no children of their own, they were blessed with many nieces and nephews who visited often.

An excellent dancer, Ruth enjoyed dancing at the Los Angeles night clubs like the Coconut Grove, featuring big bands in the 1950s and 60s. In Fort Myers she was an active member of the Symphony Guild for over 20 years. Ruth loved playing bridge and was a ranked player in the Fort Myers area.

Funeral Services are planned for Saturday, March 5th, at 11:30, at Fort Myers Memorial Gardens Funeral Home and Cemetery.