Services for Ruth will be held at the Le Grand Friends Church on Saturday, January 25, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. with pastor Alan Mullikin officiating. A visitation for family and friends will be held one hour prior to the beginning of services. For more information or to leave a condolence to the family please visit www.mitchellfh.com or phone 641-844-1234. Mitchell Family Funeral Home is caring for Ruth and her family.

Ruth M. Jackson was born September 8, 1935, to parents John and Ruth (Troup) Jackson in the rural countryside of Haverhill, Iowa. She was one of two children born to the family. Ruth attended school in Marshalltown.

On February 14, 1964, Ruth was united in marriage to her husband Garol Cooling in Rockford, Illinois. The two began their life forming a family with seven children between them. They were long time residents of Le Grand.

Ruth worked at Marshall Manufacturing packing gauges to ship out to customers. From Marshall Manufacturing she went into retail and worked for Fantles in the children’s department as a sales associate. She also worked as a seasonal employee at JC Penny’s and Titus True Value in Marshalltown. Ruth was an active member of her community and was a charter member of the Lioness Club in Le Grand, the Le Grand Birthday Club (card club), Le Grand Art and Literary Club and the Le Grand Friends Church. In her free time, she enjoyed spending time with her grandkids, baking, canning foods, gardening, mushroom hunting, shelling on the beach, hunting sharks teeth, putting together jigsaw puzzles, crocheting, reading, she loved looking at her bird feeders, butterflies, cardinals and loved snowmen and Thomas Kinkade.

Left to cherish her memory are her husband of 55 years, Garol; her children: David (Cindy) Lukehart, Nancy (Moose) Slingluff, Denise (Dan) Crookshank, Jeannie Dukes-Cooling, Mike Cooling, Lisa (Randy) Kurtz and Deb (Tim) Main; her grandchildren: Matt Lukehart, Will Lukehart, Alysha Davis, Travis Barnhart, David Slingluff, Leah Slingluff, Josh Crookshank, Nate Crookshank, Denae Neisess, Chase Dukes, Erica Dukes, Michael Cooling, Elaine Deppe, Douglas Cooling, Kendra Cooling, Tanner Hensley, Jessica Hensley, Jon Kurtz, Kyle Kurtz, Ami Jo Scamahorn, and Adam Main; 21 great grandchildren and her sister, Mary (Joe) Griffiths.

She is preceded in death by her parents John and Ruth and her infant son Douglas.