Obituary of Ruth Liesl Babette Ratz

Ruth Liesl Babette Ratz (Nee Oberhaeusser) passed away peacefully at the age of 91 on March 8, 2024, at Hospice Wellington in Guelph.

She was predeceased by her devoted husband of 55 years Adolf “Al” Ratz (2017). She is survived by her beloved children Birgit (Eugene) Ratz- Cheung, Hans-Michael (Carolyn) Ratz, Ingrid (Robert) Chyc and Athena Spiegelberg. She was the proud Oma to 10 grandchildren. Ruth was born in Aschaffenburg Germany on February 26, 1933, to Berta (Kleikamp) and Hans Leonhard Oberhaeusser. She was the sister of Horst “John” (Erna) Oberhauser of Escondido, California, and Bernd (Erika) Schuller of Wurzburg, Germany. Ruth lived in Germany and experienced a wonderful childhood until the age of 5 when the Second World War started. Her father died during the war and her family home was destroyed by bombs. She trained with the Red Cross to become a nurse prior to immigrating to Montreal, Quebec in 1955. She was posted to work at the Miller Bay Indian Hospital near Prince Rupert BC. It was through this experience she developed a lifelong appreciation and fondness for native art and culture. Later, she moved to Toronto where she met Al at a church youth group, and they were married in 1962. She was a proud Canadian and celebrated the anniversary of her immigration every five years with her many friends and family who had also immigrated. They settled on a farm near Neustadt, Ontario in 1964. Ruth had a vision to renovate the house into a castle complete with manicured grounds and Al promised to make her dream home a reality. Al was a skilled carpenter and Ruth had a unique eye for interior design so together, they renovated the home and landscaped the property. The beautiful carpentry and unique furnishings gave their dream home the warmest ambience where they welcomed many family & friends for regular Kaffee Klatsch and potato pancake suppers. Having come from a long line of bookkeeper, she managed the farm and carpentry business administration and finances while also raising the children. Ruth was a creative and frugal homemaker, master gardener, baker, and seamstress. She would sew her daughters’ dresses and Halloween costumes and had never-ending baskets of mending and laundry to do. Ruth loved to entertain and hosted many garden parties on the farm. She organized the most creative birthday parties for her kids which included a themed home- made birthday cake with coins hidden inside. She ensured the holidays were grand celebrations, decorating her home and serving a feast to family and friends. She and Al had a great faith in God and instilled that in their family as active members of St. Matthews Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hanover for over 60 years. After raising her children and at the age of 50, Ruth returned to school and became a Registered Nurse and worked at Brucelea Haven Nursing Home in Walkerton. She was generous and kind and spent her days and life helping and taking care of others. In her retirement, she found calm, and happiness tending to her flower and vegetable gardens. She delighted in collecting dolls which she carefully dressed and proudly displayed throughout her home. She was an avid reader and was proud of her private library. She was adventurous and enjoyed many wonderful trips around the world with her husband and family. She loved to go to First Nations Powwows and arts and crafts shows. She hosted many oversees visitors at the farm and served as their enthusiastic travel guide. They moved to Arbour Trails Retirement Home in Guelph where they made many new friends and continued to enjoy retirement. During her last years, she spent her days reading her lifelong collection of cards, letters, and notes that her friends and family had given her and which she held close to her heart.

She enjoyed laughter filled visits with her kids and grandkids reminiscing about the past and reading her collection of calendars, diaries, and Christmas letters in which she had chronicled her life tolerating her children’s antics, the economics of farming, family trivia, and all of it recorded as an honest and unfiltered assessment of her family. Her children and grandkids and future generations will treasure this family history. She will be remembered for her hard work and perseverance, but mostly for her friendly welcoming personality, her smile, and twinkling eyes.

Funeral plans have been entrusted to Brombal Funeral Home Guelph, Ontario. Services will be held at St. John’s Dixie Cemetery and Reception Center, 737 Dundas Street East Mississauga, Ontario on Saturday March 16, 2024, beginning with a Visitation at 1pm and a service at 2 pm. In Lieu of flowers the family would appreciate donations to Hospice Wellington, 795 Scottsdale Drive, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 3R8.