Ruth A. (Jensen) Bunge, age 91, of Decorah, passed away Sun., Feb. 23, 2020, at Barthell O.E.S. Home in Decorah.
Memorial Services were held Feb. 29, 2020, at First Lutheran Church in Decorah with Rev. Melissa Bills officiating. Private Family Inurnment was in Lutheran Cemetery in Decorah.
Ruth Ann (Jensen) Bunge ‘51 was born on Feb. 8, 1929, along with a twin sister, Mary Louise (Jensen) Berry ‘52, the daughters of Axel and Martha (Andersen) Jensen. They were born in Minneapolis, but moved with their parents to Chicago shortly thereafter. Their extended family were mostly in the Chicago area, her maternal grandparents having moved there from Norway around the turn of the century, and her paternal grandparents having immigrated from Denmark.
After high school Ruth attended St. Olaf College for two years and then transferred to Luther College to complete her degree. She majored in accounting and management, a lonely field for women in the mid-20th century. She was often the only woman in the classes of her major field, more often than not taught by Frank Barth ‘40, who delighted in needling this lone woman in his classes. However, they were both from Chicago and it was a more or less an equal match.
Upon graduation from Luther College in 1951, Ruth stayed on at the college for five years as Recorder in the Registrar’s Office, chief assistant to Dr. O. W. “Pip” Qualley ‘18, who juggled multiple roles at the time. Then she returned to Chicago, spent a year with the Armour Research Foundation, and then moved to a position at McCormick Theological Seminary as Administrative Assistant to the Academic Dean, Dr. Floyd Filson, Professor of New Testament and Academic Dean. When, after six years, she left that position before her marriage in 1963, the daily student newspaper at McCormick Seminary included a news item: “This is a sad day in the life of McCormick Seminary. Ruth Jensen, who has been an especially friendly and helpful presence at the Seminary, is leaving today.” On meeting faculty at the Seminary, Will was given the definite impression that he was interrupting a well-functioning operation.
Ruth and Wilfred Bunge ‘53 were married on Nov. 29, 1963, after a long term on and off relationship that lingered so long as to become a source of amusement to family and friends. Since Will was on the faculty of Luther College at the time, this meant a move back to Decorah for Ruth. Always eager to find work of interest, Ruth was Administrative Assistant to the Director of Admissions at Luther for a semester, the very semester that led to a huge uptick in enrollment. President Farwell was very appreciative of Ruth’s organizational skills, a tribute to that major in management. Subsequently Ruth was an office assistant for Project Physics at Harvard while Will had a semester leave to complete his doctoral dissertation.
Two children occupied Ruth’s attention for several subsequent years, Paul, born in 1965, and Maren, born in 1969. The restless work ethic returned in the 1970s, when Ruth managed rentals in Oneota Village for some years, wrote the successful proposal for the Decorah Low Rent Housing Authority, a federal program, and managed the program until her retirement in 1995. Both of those programs involved regular perusal of the Congressional Record, a chore that required unusual dedication. Ruth also taught a one-credit beginning accounting course at Luther College for several semesters. Her volunteer work for quite a few years was her service as financial officer for the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
When her parents moved to Decorah from Chicago in 1977, Ruth was, for much of a decade, their loyal caregiver, who made it possible for them to live in comfort and security in their final years.
She was preceded in death by her parents; an infant child; a brother (Arthur Jensen), a sister (Mary (Jensen) Berry ‘52) and a nephew (Eric Jensen); as well as her husband’s parents, older brother and sister.
Ruth is survived by her husband of 56 years, Wilfred F. Bunge ‘53; a son, Paul (Christy Allison) of Mendham, N.J.; a daughter, Maren (David Reeder) of Chanhassen, Minn.; grandchildren, Genevieve Bunge, and Emma, Isaac and Rebecca Reeder; multiple nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews; a sister-in-law, Marilyn (Myrah) Bunge ‘51; and a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Wayne and Marian Bunge.
If you wish to donate in Ruth’s memory: The Bunge Scholarship at Luther College, c/o Development Office, 700 College Drive, Decorah, IA 52101, Habitat for Humanity for Winneshiek County (WCHFH), P.O. Box 457, Decorah, IA 52101, Barthell O.E.S. Home, 911 Ridgewood Drive, Decorah, IA 52101, Or a charity of your choice.