Obituary for Frederick Rutherman
Frederick Allen Rutherman was born April 25, 1927, in Olmsted, Ill., and passed away April 11, 2022, in Fort Myers, Fla., his home since 2011. His parents were Jesse Allen and Myrtle Wise Rutherman.
Fred grew up in Olmsted, where he developed an early and lifelong love for the outdoors and became known as Boone. He was an avid hunter, fisherman and explorer and was as happy on his dad‘s pond in Olmsted as he was fly fishing on the Yellowstone River. Fred was a Boy Scout and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, which was awarded to him in 1943 by St. Louis Cardinals team captain Jimmy Brown, then in wartime spring training in Cairo, Ill. With that ceremony began a lifelong love for the Cardinals, and Fred thought mlb.com was one of the greatest inventions in his lifetime. He graduated from Mound City Township High in 1945 and served in the U.S. Navy at the close of World War II and the U.S. Marine Corps, stationed in Japan, during the Korean War.
Fred attended the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., in the Navy V-12 Unit and graduated from McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill., in 1949 with a degree in mathematics. He began his career as a math teacher at Mounds Township High School, then served at the First National Bank in Harrisburg and retired from the accounting department at Electric Energy, Inc. with over 30 years of service. He often told humorous and affectionate stories of co-workers. He and his wife, Dorothy, also owned a custom picture framing business.
While at McKendree, he met Dorothy Jean Sheets, a student at Lebanon High School, who lived a block from the McKendree campus. Their first date was to a St. Louis Symphony concert. Dorothy told of a duck hunting trip on the Mississippi River when they were dating. She described the day as bitter cold and said that as they slid back to Olmsted in an ice storm, she told herself that if she ever got him to marry her, she would never go duck hunting again. She did - and she didn’t. They were married April 7, 1951, at the Harrisburg Methodist Church and moved from Harrisburg to Metropolis in 1954. They came to love Metropolis, where they were active and devoted members of the First United Methodist Church. They made many long-lasting friendships there, and he held dear his relationships with members of the Fidelis Sunday School Class, of which he was a participant for over 50 years.
Travel was a major part of their lives with many trips to Dorothy’s birthplace in Montana and nearby Yellowstone National Park. They explored all 50 states and much of Europe; he recently remarked that his favorite places, other than where his family was, were Hawaii, Alaska and Yellowstone.
Fred loved the hills and rivers of Southern Illinois and never forgot them. After his move from Metropolis, he enjoyed the tropical birds, flowers and sunsets of Southwest Florida when he wasn’t watching a Cards game on his iPad.
He was a student of history and his extensive library included books on the Civil War, World War II and many other subjects. The great joy of his later years was savoring his role as a loving Double-G-Dad to his great-grandchildren, three of whom are named after him.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 55 years, Dorothy, and her parents, George Harold and Christine Karnes Sheets. He said his in-laws were his best friends and that he never thought mother-in-law jokes were funny because he had the best one in the world.
He is survived by daughters Katherine of Paducah and Owensboro, Ky., Janet (Sheldon) Church of Ft. Myers; Laura (Robert) Rowe of Oconomowoc, Wis.; grandson Ben (Elizabeth) Horner and children Abigail, Henry, Frederick and Charles of Hot Springs, Ark.; granddaughter Jessica (Jason) Green and children Anna, Russell, Jordan, Joshua and Madelyn of Ft. Myers; grandson Kevin (Megan) Rowe and children Emma, Josephine and Harrison of Madison, Wis.; granddaughter Katherine (Travis) Bischoff and children Page, Ainsley and Charlotte of Greenfield, Wis.
A graveside remembrance service for family and friends will take place on April 30 at noon at College Hill Cemetery, on North Alton Street, directly west of the McKendree University Intramural Gym in Lebanon, Ill. Rev. Robert Edwards, the Ruthermans’ former pastor, will officiate. Pallbearers will be Sheldon Church, Robert Rowe, Ben Horner, Kevin Rowe, Travis Bischoff and Jason Green. Honorary pallbearers will be Jack Wise and Victor Sredl.
Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church, 100 E. Fifth St., Metropolis, Ill., 62960; McKendree University, 701 College Road, Lebanon, Ill., 62254, or to a favorite charity.
Fred grew up in Olmsted, where he developed an early and lifelong love for the outdoors and became known as Boone. He was an avid hunter, fisherman and explorer and was as happy on his dad‘s pond in Olmsted as he was fly fishing on the Yellowstone River. Fred was a Boy Scout and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, which was awarded to him in 1943 by St. Louis Cardinals team captain Jimmy Brown, then in wartime spring training in Cairo, Ill. With that ceremony began a lifelong love for the Cardinals, and Fred thought mlb.com was one of the greatest inventions in his lifetime. He graduated from Mound City Township High in 1945 and served in the U.S. Navy at the close of World War II and the U.S. Marine Corps, stationed in Japan, during the Korean War.
Fred attended the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., in the Navy V-12 Unit and graduated from McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill., in 1949 with a degree in mathematics. He began his career as a math teacher at Mounds Township High School, then served at the First National Bank in Harrisburg and retired from the accounting department at Electric Energy, Inc. with over 30 years of service. He often told humorous and affectionate stories of co-workers. He and his wife, Dorothy, also owned a custom picture framing business.
While at McKendree, he met Dorothy Jean Sheets, a student at Lebanon High School, who lived a block from the McKendree campus. Their first date was to a St. Louis Symphony concert. Dorothy told of a duck hunting trip on the Mississippi River when they were dating. She described the day as bitter cold and said that as they slid back to Olmsted in an ice storm, she told herself that if she ever got him to marry her, she would never go duck hunting again. She did - and she didn’t. They were married April 7, 1951, at the Harrisburg Methodist Church and moved from Harrisburg to Metropolis in 1954. They came to love Metropolis, where they were active and devoted members of the First United Methodist Church. They made many long-lasting friendships there, and he held dear his relationships with members of the Fidelis Sunday School Class, of which he was a participant for over 50 years.
Travel was a major part of their lives with many trips to Dorothy’s birthplace in Montana and nearby Yellowstone National Park. They explored all 50 states and much of Europe; he recently remarked that his favorite places, other than where his family was, were Hawaii, Alaska and Yellowstone.
Fred loved the hills and rivers of Southern Illinois and never forgot them. After his move from Metropolis, he enjoyed the tropical birds, flowers and sunsets of Southwest Florida when he wasn’t watching a Cards game on his iPad.
He was a student of history and his extensive library included books on the Civil War, World War II and many other subjects. The great joy of his later years was savoring his role as a loving Double-G-Dad to his great-grandchildren, three of whom are named after him.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 55 years, Dorothy, and her parents, George Harold and Christine Karnes Sheets. He said his in-laws were his best friends and that he never thought mother-in-law jokes were funny because he had the best one in the world.
He is survived by daughters Katherine of Paducah and Owensboro, Ky., Janet (Sheldon) Church of Ft. Myers; Laura (Robert) Rowe of Oconomowoc, Wis.; grandson Ben (Elizabeth) Horner and children Abigail, Henry, Frederick and Charles of Hot Springs, Ark.; granddaughter Jessica (Jason) Green and children Anna, Russell, Jordan, Joshua and Madelyn of Ft. Myers; grandson Kevin (Megan) Rowe and children Emma, Josephine and Harrison of Madison, Wis.; granddaughter Katherine (Travis) Bischoff and children Page, Ainsley and Charlotte of Greenfield, Wis.
A graveside remembrance service for family and friends will take place on April 30 at noon at College Hill Cemetery, on North Alton Street, directly west of the McKendree University Intramural Gym in Lebanon, Ill. Rev. Robert Edwards, the Ruthermans’ former pastor, will officiate. Pallbearers will be Sheldon Church, Robert Rowe, Ben Horner, Kevin Rowe, Travis Bischoff and Jason Green. Honorary pallbearers will be Jack Wise and Victor Sredl.
Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church, 100 E. Fifth St., Metropolis, Ill., 62960; McKendree University, 701 College Road, Lebanon, Ill., 62254, or to a favorite charity.