Ruth Ellen (Leininger) Mundt was born on a farm near Arcadia on Sept. 29, 1928, the first of six children of William A and Alma (McCall) Leininger.
She attended Arcadia Public Schools and graduated high school in 1946. Following graduation, Ruth worked locally as a waitress and grocery clerk. She then moved to Kearney, where she worked as a housekeeper and nanny for a prominent Kearney family.
Seeking adventure, and at the urging of Aunts and Uncles in Boise, Idaho, Ruth moved to Boise in late 1949. Her train ride to Boise coincided with the Great Blizzard of 1949. The train she was riding on was stranded outside of a small town in western Wyoming, and local townspeople helped evacuate the people on the train to a shelter at the high school to wait out the historic blizzard. Accordingly, while hardships were endured across a wide swath of the plains states due to the storm, Ruth related many tales of fun, games, good food and dancing at the gymnasium they were stranded at. One of the many times throughout her life she was blessed with good fortune.
Ruth found work in Boise at New York Life and remained there a couple years, but grew homesick for Nebraska and moved back to Lincoln, where she got a job at Hompes Tire Company. It was during this time period, she met the love of her life. Ruth and Leon R. Mundt were married Nov. 15, 1951, and lived in Lincoln and York prior to moving to Deshler, where they raised their two sons, David E. and Douglas D. After the boys were in school, Ruth worked for the Nebraska Security Bank in Deshler, where she reached the position of assistant cashier.
After the boys both graduated high school, Leon and Ruth lived on a farm they owned west of Arcadia and then moved to the farm Leon had been raised on near Crete in 1980. They remodeled the original farmhouse and later were awarded Aksarben’s Pioneer Farm Family for the farm being in the same family for over 100 years. Leon and Ruth moved to Crete in 1995 and remained there the remainder of their lives. They were active members of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Crete for many years. After spending the last five years of her life at The Gardens Assisted Living facility in Crete, Ruth went to join all the Saints bringing glory to our Lord and Savior in her Heavenly Home on May 8, 2023.
Ruth is survived by David’s wife, Amy Mundt, of Littleton, Colorado; son, Douglas and wife Dawn of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; grandson, Jarod D. Mundt and wife Stacey of Fort Collins, Colorado; granddaughter, Julie C. Rohrs and husband Jared of Lincoln; grandson, Justin D. Mundt and wife Lauren of Broomfield, Colorado; great-grandsons, Reef and Ayrton Rohrs, Lincoln; great-granddaughters, Kenadie and Mikayla Mundt, Broomfield; sister, Retta Mae Bettenhausen, Lincoln; brother, Ronald Leininger and wife Mitzi, Lexington; sister, Shirley Petersen, Grand Island; sister, Carol Zikmund, Columbus; and numerous nephews, nieces and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Leon; son, David; brother, William B. Leininger; brothers-in-law, Dale Bettenhausen, Ron Petersen and Douglas Zikmund.
The funeral service was May 15 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Crete. Arrangements by Kuncl Funeral Home.
