Ruth Mary Marlewski, age 89 of Oxford passed away on Sunday, February 14, 2016 at her home, surrounded by family as a result of her stroke in November. Ruth was born in Chicago, IL on June 3rd, 1926 to Daniel and Wilhelmina (Richter) Kelleher. She married Peter Grifo and together they had four children; she later married LeRoy "Lee" Marlewski on October 4th, 1953 in Chicago and together they had two children. Ruth and Lee moved to Oxford, WI in 1970 and started Oxford Music Games and Vending. Lee preceded her in death on September 10th, 1988. Ruth enjoyed reading, fashion, bowling, traveling, Tweety Bird and the Packers. She was a hard worker with unique stories from her past-where she developed the attitude of "only do what you enjoy" and passed this mentality on to her offspring. She and her husband Lee were active in the VFW and enjoyed traveling to different VFW events while he was State Commander and she was a member of the VFW Auxiliary. They spent time in Sarasota, Florida, where Ruth enjoyed walking the beach, searching for seashells, basking in the sun and creating beautiful memories until her last trip at the ripe age of 88! She adored her family and enjoyed spending time with them as much as she could, which kept her busy and active until her unexpected stroke. She was always up for an adventure and lived life fearlessly, yet humble. Ruth's kind and outgoing personality will always be remembered and cherished.
Ruth is survived by five children: Jerry (Doug Matthews) Grifo of Ann Arbor, MI, Sally Persigan of Oxford, Paula (Larry) Gustafson of Bonita Springs, FL, Lynda (Clay) Courchaine of Oxford and John (Colleen) Marlewski of Oxford as well as daughter-in-law, Beth Marlewski of Rockford, IL and eleven grandchildren: Jim, Michelle (Rob), Rosie, Dario (Amy), Tanya (Tom), Jesse (Amy), Daniel "DJ" (Belinda), April (Anthony "Tony"), Michael (Megan), Jamie (Mike) and Jessica. She is also survived by fifteen great-grandchildren: Matthew, Miranda, Meghan (Casey), Jada, Cole, Kody, Bailey, Kamdyn, Lucy, Anthony, Treyton, Madden, Reina, Renz and Jemma. Ruth is further survived by great-great grandchildren, Henley and Sadie as well as her sister-in-law, Joanne Marlewski, nieces, nephews and many friends.
Ruth is preceded in death by her parents, husband, son, Mike Marlewski, mother-in-law, Elsie Rowe and grandson, Jimi Gundersen as well as three siblings: Daniel "Bud" Kelleher, Grace Kelleher and Violet (Elmer) Galloway. She is also preceded in death by brothers-in-law, Ronald Marlewski, Richard Love and sister-in-law, Laverne Love. A funeral service for Ruth Marlewski will be held on Saturday, February 20, 2016 at 11:00 am at the Crawford Funeral Home in Oxford. Visitation will be held from 9:00 am until the hour of service. Jane Govoni will officiate and burial will follow the service at the Oxford Village Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations are preferred to the family for a memorial that will be established in Ruth's name. Crawford Funeral and Cremation Service of Oxford and Montello is honored to be serving the family. www.CrawfordFH.com
Previous Events
Visitation
Saturday, February 20, 2016
9:00 AM
- 11:00 AM
Crawford Funeral Home of Oxford
306 S. Franklin Avenue
Oxford, WI 53952
Funeral Service
Saturday, February 20, 2016
11:00 AM
Crawford Funeral Home of Oxford
306 S. Franklin Avenue
Oxford, WI 53952