Lawrence Oscar Rueter

1912 - 2011  (98 years)

• Name	Lawrence Oscar Rueter
  Born	12 Dec 1912	Wauneta, Chase County, Nebraska, USA   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Died	21 Apr 2011	Bozeman, Gallatin County, Montana, USA   [3, 4]
  Buried	Y  [5]
  Person ID	I74307	Suedpfalz
  Last Modified	15 Jun 2014

  
  

  Father	Lawrence Melchoir Rueter,   b. 19 Oct 1876, Unadilla, Johnson County, Nebraska, USA ,   d. 18 Jun 1934, Wauneta, Chase County, Nebraska, USA  (Age 57 years)
  Mother	Elisabetha Neuhardt,   b. 25 Aug 1877, Rumbach, Pfalz, Bayern ,   d. 18 Dec 1931, McCook, Red Willow County, Nebraska, USA  (Age 54 years)
  Married	22 Dec 1903	Nebraska, USA
  Family ID	F33877	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Minna Faye Johnston,   b. 27 Sep 1912, Wauneta, Chase County, Nebraska, USA ,   d. 27 Aug 1994, Imperial, Chase County, Nebraska, USA  (Age 81 years)
  Married	4 Oct 1941	Nebraska, USA
  Children	1. Marcia Rueter   2. Marc Rueter
  Last Modified	1 May 2018
  Family ID	F33884	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  BIOGRAPHY: Davis & Valcovic/Valachovic Families Entries: 42568 Updated: 2008-07-19 22:31:16 UTC (Sat) Contact: Beverly Home Page: Valcovic Family Homepage <http://www.valcovic.com> Lawrence was a very talented sculptor who worked in silver and bone, ma king wonderful jewelry for family members and, occasionally, to sell. H e, with his daughter Marcia, showed his work at various places in the W est. He was particularly interested in the history and culture of the I ndians native to the area. His jewelry carried that theme.He was an avid reader and was interested in everything. I cannot rememb er sitting down to a meal at his house that he did not get up, find a b ook and check or enhance something in the conversation. He enjoyed the a rts and was active in theater in his community. He enjoyed travel and h e and Faye took many trips including to Australia.

  
  

• Sources

  [S24] 1920 US Federal Census, (www.ancestry.com). [S25] 1930 US Federal Census, (www.ancestry.com). Name: Lawerence O Rueter Home in 1930: Wauneta, Chase, Nebraska Age: 17 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1913 Relation to Head of House: Son Father's Name: Lawrence M Mother's Name: Elizabeth [S8] Information from an informant - Auskunft eines Informanten - Information d'un informateur. Proposed Change: Lawrence Oscar Rueter (I74307)Tree: Südpfalz / Southern PalatinateLink: http://www.birkenhoerdt.net/getperson.php?personID=I74307&tree=SuedpfalzDescription: Only one Lawrence Rueter, with similar birth year, shows up in the SSDI. Card was issued in Nebraska:https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JG1C-H49claire rassman claire rassman [S888] Social Security Death Index 1935 - Current, (www.ancestry.com). Given Name: Lawrence Middle Name: Surname: Rueter Name Suffix: Birth Date: 12 December 1912 Social Security Number: State: Nebraska Last Place of Residence: Bozeman, Gallatin, Montana Previous Residence Postal Code: 59715 Event Date: 21 April 2011 Age: 99 [S927] Obituary. Lawrence Oscar Rueter Obituary "Lawrence was like a Grandfather to us three girls growing..." - Lisa Schaffert (Doetker) Longtime farmer, rancher, artist, and scholar, Lawrence Oscar Rueter, 98, died April 21, 2011, at his residence in Bozeman, Mont. Lawrence was born 12/12/12 in Wauneta Neb., the seventh of nine children born to Lawrence Melchior Rueter, a Lutheran minister turned farmer and his wife, Elizabeth Neuhart. The young Rueter family learned to farm with a team of horses, and harvest and thresh wheat with steam engines. They raised bountiful gardens, fed cattle and hogs, and tended orchards. Lawrence attended Sunnyside Grade School and Wauneta Rural High where he excelled in academics and won a county spelling bee. He later married Mina Faye Johnston, who taught school in Hayes Center, Neb. and Goodland, Kan. Their engagement was extended until 1941 because, at the time, married female school teachers were not hired by the schools. On the South Divide near Wauneta, Neb., Lawrence practiced sustainable agriculture and developed a land ethic for the Great Plains. His progressive stewardship supported his family through drought, wind, hail, insects, and low cattle/grain prices. Lawrence and Faye were always active in the community; in their church, square-dances, volunteering on various boards, and starting the town's first theater group that performed plays each winter. After harvest and before fall fieldwork, the family always looked forward to traveling. Lawrence and Faye visited 48 states and three continents. He was a skilled self-taught artist and produced numerous wood carvings, scrimshaw works, silver and brass jewelry, and pencil drawings for numerous people throughout his life. Most of his art was generously given to family and friends and even admirers. Beloved handcrafted toys, including a detailed, miniaturized western town, are still enjoyed with each new generation of children. His wry sense of humor was expressed through his satirical drawings, cartoons, and notes to family and friends. In 1999 with Faye no longer by his side, Lawrence moved to Dexter, Mich., where he continued to read, garden, and create beautiful pieces of jewelry in his six years there before moving to Bozeman, Mont. He is survived by his youngest sister, Lucille Lee of Lancaster, Va.; two children, Marcia Rueter (Ed) Leritz of Bozeman, Mont., and Marc (Anne) Rueter of Ann Arbor, Mich.; six grandchildren: Paul (Michelle) Brunkhorst of Buffalo, Wyo.; Dan (Christina) Brunkhorst of Lewistown, Mont.; David Rueter of Ann Arbor, Mich., Joan Rueter of Alameda, Calif.; Lyle (Bernadette) Leritz of Ferndale Wash., and Justin Leritz of Puyallup, Wash. Eleven great-grandchildren: Chase Brunkhorst of Buffalo Wyo., Dean Manica of Anacortes, Wash.; Marie, Mina, Marlen, and Mokeem Brunkhorst of Lewistown, Mont.; Natalia della Valle of Basil, Switzerland, Dylan Frost of Alameda, Calif.; Reilly, Nathan, and Nicholas Leritz of Ferndale Wash. Nieces and nephews: Beverly Davis (Larry) Valcovic, Annapolis, Md; Judy McBride Peterson (Mike) and Mary McBride Breeden (Scott), Crystal Lake, Ill; Kathy McBride (Gary), Richmond Calif.; Robin Lee and Kevin Lee, Gaithersberg, Md.; Jennifer Lee (Deb), Gum Springs Va.; Jeanne Rosetti Beatty (Greg), Ocean Pines, Md.; Marilyn Burkland (Richard), Lincoln, Neb.; Jan Eastwood, Callaway, Neb.; Clark (Fran) Rueter, Haxtun, Colo.; Gary Kitt, Lincoln, Neb.; Stuart Kitt, St Charles, Ill.; Rhea Kay Johnston and family, Lincoln, Neb.; Mary Johnston and family, Valencia, Calif.; Sue Powell Trummel, Portland, Ore., and many grand nieces and nephews. He will also be missed by special friends: Lorene Lovell, Tara Griffith, Rachel Hewitt, Cindy Overmyer, Cindy, Tina, and Gemma Rodriguez, Blue Armstrong, and Kevin Janicek. A heartfelt thanks to the wonderful staff at Birchwood at Hillcrest for their care and friendship throughout the past six years. A Celebration of Life for family and friends will be held the Aspen Pointe chapel at 2 p.m. Friday, June 3, in Bozeman, Mont. Graveside services are planned at a later date in Wauneta, Neb. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to the Medical Memorial Fund in Wauneta, Neb., at 308-394-5555. Condolences and memories may be shared with family at www.dahlcares.com Published in Bozeman Daily Chronicle on April 24, 2011