Ruth Hugener

1934 - 2025

Lake Mills, WI - Born August 3rd, 1934 in St. John's Newfoundland, Ruth was the granddaughter of a sea captain, wife of an officer, the daughter, sister, mother and mother-in-law of authors, including her brother, Harold Horwood, the decorated Canadian novelist. After completing her studies at Memorial University in 1954, she taught school and met and married Joseph Hugener of the U.S. Air Force. At the easternmost tip of North America, St. John's held strategic significance during World War II, and Ruth's father was a volunteer in the Air Raid Precautions Organization, which helped ensure that St. John's was blacked out against possible attacks by the German navy or air force. During the Cold War, St. John's was home to the USAF Red Cliffs radar surveillance station, which identified potential targets for interceptor jets, and Ruth's future husband, Joseph Hugener, of Holtville, CA, was deployed to Red Cliffs. Marriage and Air Force life carried Ruth to Battle Creek, MI, Sumter, SC, and ultimately Lake Mills, WI, chosen for its proximity to Ruth's sisters-in-law, Margarita Neuberger and Liz Neuberger and their families.

In Lake Mills, Ruth took on a long list of volunteering responsibilities over a period of 50 years. She volunteered for Meals on Wheels and Trinity Lutheran Church, taught preschool, worked at polls and provided leadership at Tyranena Ladies Club and the American Legion Auxiliary, and was a fine example of the positive impact of immigrants on the United States. In Lake Mills, Ruth raised her three children and later hosted her seven grandchildren as frequently as she was allowed. As a mother, she was supportive and optimistic. As a grandmother, she was doting and generous. As a cook, her intentions were good.

Ruth enjoyed cats, toddlers, Peanuts comic strips and slapstick accidents if they did not result in serious injury. She did not enjoy vainglorious politicians or double header baseball games. She was suspicious of exercise. She was appreciated for her gentle demeanor, her endless patience and her volunteering spirit. She never argued when she was chided for her commitment to natural supplements for the prevention of illness, nor was she swayed. An instinctive Stoic, she was unfazed by setbacks and turned her attention immediately to their rectification. She was a strong believer in education and was always on the lookout to spot academic precociousness in her children and grandchildren, some of which may have been figmentary.

She is survived by her children, Doreen Pfost, Carl Hugener and Steve Hugener, her son-in-law, Mark Pfost, her daughters-in-law, Rosy (Ancona) Hugener, Michele LeCloux, her grandchildren Andrew, Joseph, Ana, James, Lauryn, Jack and Naomi, her grandchildren-in-law Sabrina and Gilly, her grandson-in-law-to-be, Tommy, and her great grandson, in utero, whose name is subject to debate. She is also survived by her cousins Donna Solon, Gerald Benson, and Tom Benson. She is fondly remembered by many beloved nieces and nephews throughout Wisconsin, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and the world, and by friends in Lake Mills and elsewhere, including her friend of 76 years, Doreen Cuff.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Andrew and Vina (Maidment) Horwood, her husband of 55 years, Joseph Rudolph Hugener, her brothers, Harold and Charles Horwood, her sisters-in-law, Ida Horwood, Corky Cohen, Margarita Neuberger and Liz Neuberger, her nephew, John Horwood, and many dear friends, including Joan Sabroff and Jean Meske.

Funeral services will be held at 5 p.m. on Monday, October 6, 2025, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lake Mills. Friends may call after 3 p.m. on Monday at the church until the time of services.

Burial will be at Rock Lake Cemetery.

Her family would like to thank the many caregivers who cared for Ruth in her later years, both at home and at Marquardt Park Terrace. Gifts to honor Ruth's memory can be made to the Post 67 American Legion Auxiliary Scholarship Fund, Trinity Lutheran Church Lake Mills, or the Illiminus Foundation.

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