Ruth Mae (Carstens) Bainter was born November 28, 1928 to Henry and Lottie (Benda) Carstens northwest of Jennings, Kansas, the second of 5 children, and passed away on February 22, 2018 at the age of 89. She graduated from Jennings High School in 1946. After that she attended a cosmetology school in Topeka, KS. On January 1, 1947 she married Gayle Clifford Bainter in Topeka. They celebrated 71 years of marriage. They were blessed with three children, Warren Bainter of Oberlin, Judy Gaumer of Oberlin and Wesley Bainter of Hoxie. By the time she was 22 she had all three children in diapers!
Ruth lived in Topeka until 1957 when the family moved to northeast Sheridan County to join Gayle’s father in his family’s farming operation. While in Topeka she worked at Washburn book store during the first part of each semester, after the children were in school fulltime.
Ruth worked as a cook at the Dresden Grade School for several years, and then cooked and became head cook at Jennings School for several more years. Ruth studied and passed the county appraiser’s exam, and became the Decatur County Appraiser for from October, 1987 to September, 1990.
Ruth was a loving and dedicated wife and mother. She raised a large garden each year and canned lots of vegetables for the winter. She raised lots of chickens to butcher and freeze for later in the year. She sold eggs and cream weekly to raise cash for groceries for the family. She was active in the Methodist church, teaching Sunday School and helping with all the church activities. Her life revolved around her family and church continually working to help others. She was a member of Eastern Star and the McGraw Methodist Church.
Ruth was active in charity work. One year she went to Panama for a week on a Rotary Free Eye Clinic for the poor. She cooked at the Methodist Camp Lakeside during several summers. She baked countless cakes, pies and cookies for numerous pot luck dinners and bake sales.
Ruth was predeceased by her parents, brother James Carstens; sisters, Marie Brown and Lucile Larcom; and grandson Adam Gaumer.
She is survived by her husband Gayle, sister Joann Manico of Troy, NY, son Warren (Jan), daughter Judy, and son Wesley (Casey), 10 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren.
Services will be held at the Hoxie United Methodist Church, Hoxie, Kansas on Monday, February 26, 2018, at 10:30 A.M. with Pastor Jake Schadel presiding. Interment will follow in the Hoxie City Cemetery. Visitation wil be held on Sunday, February 25, 2018, at the Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home from Noon until 7:00 P.M. Memorials are suggested to the McGraw United Methodist Church and may be sent in care of Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home, PO Box 987, Hoxie, Kansas 67740. On-line condolences may be left at www.mickeyleopoldfuneral.com.
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