Obituary: Shaver, Ruth Elizabeth (Rost)
Age 98
Ruth was born March 16, 1916 in Spokane, Washington, the daughter of Aurthur E. Rost and Esther G. (Lindsay) Rost.
Ruth grew up in Spokane with her mother, father and brother, Arthur.
She attended Bancroft Elementary, Havermale Jr. High and North Central High School, graduating in 1934.
She was student council treasurer and started working at Bonded Adjustment Company while still in high school.
After graduation, she continued to work there as a file clerk and secretary to two attorneys.
Her pay was $10.00 a week.
At the end of the year 1934, Ruth quit her job and on March 17, 1935, St. Patrick’s Day, she married the love of her life, Eldon Maurice Shaver, who was born on May 8, 1914.
They were married at Central Christian Church by Pastor Van Winkle.
Ruth became acquainted with Eldon when he moved into their neighborhood on Spofford Street in Spokane.
She thought he was a cute boy but she was young and shy and was so glad when he introduced himself to her.
Eldon had a job with Piston Service and this job took them to Tacoma, WA in 1935; to Seattle, WA in 1936 and to Bellingham, WA in 1938 and then back to Spokane.
He retired from Ram Engines when he was 68 years old.
Ruth worked for Northwest Seed and Pet for five years and later worked in the canteen at the Veterans Hospital within walking distance of her home.
Ruth was a wife, homemaker and a devoted mother to her three boys, and she took great pride and joy doing these very important “jobs.”
They had many wonderful vacations together with their three sons.
When their children were grown, they traveled and vacationed all over the United States, took a Caribbean cruise and another cruise along the inside passage to Alaska.
Ruth and Eldon were married 68 years until Eldon’s death in 2002.
She always said that he was the best companion, friend and lover and she felt lost without him by her side.
They had three boys, Richard Eldon Shaver, born in 1940; Dennis Lynn Shaver born in 1942; and David Arthur Shaver born in 1945.
Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Arthur and two of her sons, Richard in 2002 and Dennis in 2012.
She is survived by her son, David Shaver and his wife, Pam Shaver Cate.
She is also survived by her grandchildren Renee Johnson, Chad Jassman, Becky Puhlman, Karena Allen, Jeff Shaver and Jonathan Shaver; great grandchildren, Sasha, Janee, Greg, Zoe, Katie, Kayden, Bryden, Bethany, Nathan, Matthew, Joshua, Jesse and Dillon.
Even at the elderly age of 95, Ruth saw her need to get washed in the blood of Jesus to cleanse her of her sins.
Many times after she “gave her heart to The Lord,” through a simple prayer, she expressed how grateful she was that God was watching over her.
She prayed and thanked God on a regular basis but most of all, she was thankful He was helping her to be able to live in her own home, the family home that she loved, until her death at age 98.
Visitation will be held Saturday September 20, 2014 from noon until 2 pm at Ball & Dodd followed by a Graveside Service at Fairmount Memorial Park at 2:30 pm.