Obituary for Ruby Charlotte Skogstad Ruby Charlotte Hedlund Skogstad, of International Falls, 63, died suddenly Tuesday, June 26, 2018, from a perforated aorta at St Luke’s Hospital in Duluth. Ruby was born on October 7, 1954, to Art and Nima Hedlund in International Falls. In 1973, she graduated from Falls High School with many friends and lettered in speech.
One of her favorite memories was attending the state high school hockey championship her senior year. Later that year, she attended the Minnesota DFL state caucus as the youngest-ever delegate, just in time for the 26th Constitutional Amendment that lowered the voting age to 18. She married Lloyd Skogstad in 1975 at First Lutheran Church in the Falls.
The two met around the fireplace at Rainy River Community College. While students, Lloyd served as campaign manager for her student government elections. As newlyweds, the two moved to Oregon where she graduated from Western Oregon State University, majoring in psychology.
During college, she sang opera often taking the “pants” part and managed film production for geological classes. After college, she was proud of her time spent as the Executive Director of an alternative high school in Portland, Oregon. She also cherished her time and students working as a substitute teacher in the Falls.
She loved teaching algebra and literature, but thought the shop students were the kindest. Her children, Ryan and Kyrsten, were proud whenever she taught their class and only lamented that their mother was more popular than them. She was a gifted seamstress and could make an exact-replica-period-costume out of an old tablecloth.
She frequently furnished costumes for local theater performances after moving back to the Falls in 1991. She shared her love of the performing arts with everyone she encountered, especially her children. She bore the title of stage mother proudly.
She loved Scrabble and Trivial Pursuits. She was also known to shout Yahtzee spontaneously while playing cards. She had a special fondness for animals and frequently kept a rescued painted turtle in the bathtub until it recovered.
She also had many permanent pets and was a friend to the neighborhood foxes. She lived her life with more style, creativity, kindness and intelligence than we ever thought humanly possible. We always knew she was on loan to us from the angels and are grateful for the time God gave us with her.
She was a lifelong member of First Lutheran Church. She is preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Dorothy. She is survived by her husband, Lloyd, children, Kyrsten and Ryan, brother, Andrew, sister, Sharon and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held at Green-Larsen Mortuary on Sunday, July 1, 2018, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Funeral services will be conducted at First Lutheran Church on Monday, July 2, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. Interment will be at Forest Hill Cemetery in International Falls. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Ruby Charlotte Skogstad please visit our Sympathy Store. Cemetery Details Forest Hill Cemetery Memorial Drive International Falls, MN, 56649 , Previous Events Visitation , JUL 1.
05:00 PM – 07:00 PM Green Larsen Mortuary 517 Fourth Street International Falls, MN, US, 56649 Funeral Service , JUL 2.
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