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Ruth May Dittel

7/5/1928 - 5/26/2012

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Obituary For Ruth May Dittel

On, May 26, 2012 an Angel went home. Ruth May (White) Dittel, 83, of Rapid City passed from this world into loving arms, taking with her the love of family and friends at Golden Living Center Bella Vista. She was born Ruth May Annie Laura Day on July 5, 1928 in Tate County, Mississippi to Edna and Fred Day. She married George Alfred White Feb 9, 1949 at Lepanto, Arkansas and moved to Rapid City in 1950 where they raised a loving family of eleven children and she provided day care for many of her grandchildren. She was a devoted and loving wife and was widowed in 1979. She worked for SCI in Rapid City for 16 years and retired in 1997. She was a great neighbor, co worker and a loyal friend. Famous for her pie baking skills, she baked pies for a local diner and her pies were always the first to sell out at a Church Bazaar. Her spirit was a soft and nurturing one and her vast love for God made her a blessing as a Sunday School teacher to the little children, which she did with enthusiasm and faithfully for over 20 years at the First Church of God. She was active in the Woman's Missionaries and received an award and was honored for her service and commitment. She loved to sing in church and although Alzheimer's may have robbed her on some things, she never forgot the words to the hymns. The church was indeed her second family. It was through the church she met and married Ted Dittel on June 26, 1993. He made her laugh, and filled her life with love and purpose. Together, he would play the guitar and they would sing praises and were known for their duets in church. Truly her best friend and love. She not only gave her children her devoted love, she taught us to be kind and gentle, to be compassionate and caring, to be firm, yet loving, to show strength but know when weakness was strength. She taught us that when you commit to something you see it through to the end. She taught us not to judge one another, the world would do that. She allowed us to have our differences but not to fight over them. She instilled in us that to be a family there was more than just sharing the same last name, it was about our commitment to each other, respect, unconditional love, and the sharing of our life's journeys. She taught us that faith in God was more than a Sunday morning trip to church, it was a way of living. Each of our lives and that of our families, are a testament to our mother and grandmother, Ruth. The example in which she lived her life is one that will be hard to live up to, as in this world she had no enemies, just light and love by all that met her. We always thought there should be a Hall of Fame for Mothers so at a family reunion in 1992 we presented her with an award and inducted her into the Mother's Hall of Fame. When she could no longer be cared for at home, Golden Living Center Bella Vista became her new home where the loving and caring staff became her extended family. We will forever be grateful to each of them and remember them in our prayers for the rest of our lives. She is survived by 11 children and their spouses who adored her, Lonnie White, Trish and Ray Jones, Janet and Ralph Amundson, Linda and Ken Essary, Fran and Joe Cersosimo, and Thelma Fry all of Rapid City, SD. Hal and Pat White, Las Vegas. NY, Cathy and Darrell Emerson, Sun City West, AZ, Helen Olney, Parumph, NY, Dotty and Vinnie Esposito Henderson, NV, Al and Noemi White, San Diego, CA. Her legacy of love includes 34 grandchildren, 47 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by three grandchildren, Alicia Amundson, Sabrina Groves, Danny Olney and her husbands Alfred White and Ted Dittel.

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