Ruth Rand, of Thief River Falls, MN, passed away on Monday, March 14, 2022 at her home, at the age of 83.
A Memorial Service to honor Ruth’s life will take place at 2:00 PM on Saturday, April 2, 2022 at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls, MN, with Rev. Mark Helgeland officiating. Burial will be held this spring at the Two River Cemetery, rural Hallock, MN.
Visitation will be held one hour prior to the memorial service on Saturday at Johnson Funeral Service. Lunch and fellowship to follow the service.
Ruth was born to Gust and Anna (Skappel) Carlson of Hallock, MN, on Jan. 4, 1939. She grew up on the family farm southeast of Hallock, graduating from Hallock High School in 1956. Ruth moved to Minneapolis attending nursing classes at Minneapolis General Hospital (now Hennepin County Medical Center), graduating in 1959 with her RN license.
Ruth worked for a period on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in their Tribal Health System.
Later, Ruth moved to Crookston, MN, and worked at Bethesda Hospital (now Riverview Health). Here she met Peter P. Rand.
In March of 1962, Ruth and Peter were married at the Two River Lutheran Church, southeast of Hallock. The couple had three sons, Scott, Richard and Bruce, between 1963 and 1966. Ruth and Peter raised their sons until their graduation in Crookston.
In 1975, Ruth began teaching nursing at the East Grand Forks AVTI, commuting from Crookston daily (now Northland Community and Technical College).
Ruth moved to Fargo, ND, in 1982, taking a position as Surgical Nursing Supervisor at Dakota Hospital. In 1988, she moved to Willmar, MN, becoming Director of Surgical Operations at Rice Memorial Hospital, where she remained until retiring, in 2001.
In 1990, Ruth bought a house in Willmar, making it her home until June 2016, when she moved to Thief River Falls, to be closer to family. Ruth’s favorite activities were cooking, gardening, sewing, quilting and caring for family.
Ruth is survived by two sons, Scott (Peenie) Rand and Bruce Rand, both of Thief River Falls; grandchildren, Joshua Rand, Julie Moser, Justin Kachena, and Anna (Rand) Davis; nieces, Patty (Jauhola) Langehaug, Nancy (Rand) Voss, and Rebecca Rand; many great-grandchildren, several great-great-grandchildren, plus many nieces and nephews of a large and extended family.
She was preceded in death by her son, Richard; her former husband, Peter; nephew, Larry Jauhola; parents, Gust and Anna Carlson; sister, Ruby Benson; in-laws, Mable and Peter Rand; brother-in-law, Larry Rand; and sisters-in-law, Helen Rand and Dale (Rand) Dewey.
