Ruth L. Ancius

Ruth L. (Buckles) Ancius, age 89, of La Crosse, formerly of De Soto, went home to be with the Lord on Monday, February 25, 2013. She was born January 7, 1924, to Frank and Julia (Nelson) Buckles. She was united in marriage to Mykolas Ancius on February 6, 1954 at North West Prairie Church in Vernon County. She and her husband owned a farm on Brown Ridge in Red Mound (De Soto), WI. Mykolas passed away November 11, 1975. Ruth lived in Viroqua and La Crosse, after moving off the farm in 1992. Ruth graduated from Viroqua High School in 1942 and graduated from the Lutheran Bible Institute, Chicago, IL in 1948.

She lived in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, IL before raising a family in De Soto. As a child, she was a "rough and tumble" tomboy. After high school, she headed for the large city where she loved to dance on the weekends in Chicago, and this is where she met her husband Mykolas (an Arthur Murray dance instructor). While in Chicago, she worked as an administrative assistant at a couple professional service firms. After starting a family, Ruth and Mykolas moved back to Wisconsin in the 1960s to raise their two children, while Mykolas continued to commute to Chicago where he continued his work as a tool and die maker. Ruth was busy all her life and active in the community. She was involved with F.F.A and 4-H and loved being very involved with her church community, hosting many circle events and being a part of the close-knit family of friends in Bad Axe Church. She was an avid gardener, canner and cook. She loved to read and travel as much as possible, seeing new places and experiencing new things. Some of those places included: New York City, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Niagara Falls and various provinces in Canada.

Ruth is survived by two sons, Michael Ancius (Julie) and Joseph Ancius (Leanne), also four grandchildren: Jimmy, Christopher, Shaylin and Jess Ancius. Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Mykolas; eight brothers: Clarence, Edwin, Francis, Elmer, Willard, Henry, Melvin and George, and three sisters: Effie Buckles, Florence Gibbs and Lucille Ishihara. Values that were important to her were the Christian faith, education and having good times with family and friends, and she instilled these values in her children through prayer and constant reminders of their importance. She lived life to the fullest and was on the go until her death. She will be remembered for being a kind, caring and generous friend. She loved helping others and was more concerned about their wellbeing than herself. Above all, she loved Jesus, her family and close friends. She will be missed.

A special thank you to the wonderful health care professionals at Gundersen Lutheran (recognizing Dr. Oettel, P.A. Eileen Williams, Laura Wiedman and the Oncology department for their expertise and human touch), the Bethany Lutheran Family of Homes for the elderly, employers and special friends who helped Ruth and our family.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday March 2, 2013 at North West Prairie Lutheran Church (E4579, Hwy 82) rural Viroqua. Pastor Jim Folz will officiate with burial in the church cemetery. A visitation will be held Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Seland Funeral Home in Coon Valley and at the church on Saturday from noon until service time. Memorials may be given to "Recognizing those Helping Seniors Fund" C/O Altra Federal Credit Union, 1807 East Main Street, Onalaska, WI 54650 or a special charity of your choice.