Ruby Oretta Kloke

Ruby O. Kloke, 84, of Waukon, IA, died Friday, March 4, 2016, at Gundersen Lutheran Hospital in La Crosse, WI. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, March 8th, at 11:00 AM at Bethlehem Presbyterian Church in rural Postville, IA, with Rev. Gary Catterson officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Friends may call from 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM Monday at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon.

Ruby Oretta Roldson Kloke was born on November 7, 1931 in Waukon, IA, the daughter of Oscar Bernard and Ruth Christine (Christianson) Roldson. She was baptized and confirmed at the Old East Paint Creek Lutheran Church in rural Waterville, IA and graduated from Waterville High School in 1949. Following schooling she worked as a nanny for several years. On September 21, 1952 Ruby married Milo Albert Kloke at the Old East Paint Creek Church. They lived on the Kloke family farm in Ludlow Township where Ruby raised their children and actively helped with many of the chores. As the children grew older she began working at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon where she was a nurse's aide for 17 years. Ruby was currently still living on the farm.

Ruby was a devoted member of Bethlehem Presbyterian Church and its ladies groups. She was also a strong member of the Republican Party and Allamakee County Farm Bureau Women. Ruby had a wonderful sense of humor and good personality which allowed her to make friends easily. She liked spending time playing cards, bowling or fishing with friends and enjoyed the company of her diabetes support group. At home she raised flowers, tended to the birds in her yard, and cared for the many pets she had over the years. Currently a dog named Franky Bender had become a special friend. She was a good baker and her pecan pie was always a family treat. An avid sports fan, she followed the Iowa Hawkeyes and Green Bay Packers and regularly attended all the sports and other activities at Waukon High School to support first her kids and later her grandchildren. For many years she and Milo enjoyed spending part of the winters in Arizona.

Survivors include her 3 children: Glenda (Page Mitchell) Kloke of Boyce, VA, and Dennis (Charlene Bender) Kloke and Wayne (Kim) Kloke, both of Waukon; 2 grandchildren: Jess and Jenn Kloke; and many other relatives along with a host of friends. She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband Milo, who died in 2010; a granddaughter Shae Marie Kloke; and a brother Conrad (Judy) Roldson.

Honorary casketbearers are Joan Bieber, Eilene Busch, LaVonne Hesse, Darlene Barth, Jean Snitker, Alyce Klocke, Helen Irwin, Lesya Ryzhenkova, and Franky Bender. Casketbearers are Jess and Jenn Kloke, Larry Klocke, Jim Hanson, John Roldson, and John Erickson.