JOHN OSCAR RUEN

John Oscar Ruen, 83, went home to be with the Lord Sunday, October 27, 2019.

John was born September 6, 1936 to Howard & Lyla Ruen in Ostrander, Minnesota. The family moved to Lanesboro in 1949 and John graduated from The Southern School of Agricultural in 1954. John joined the US Air Force in the fall of 1954, was stationed in Waco, TX, and served in Korea and Iwo Jima.

In 1958 John married Janis Torgerson at Highland Lutheran Church, they celebrated 61 years of marriage June 13, 2019. They raised their family of five children on a beautiful dairy farm in Lanesboro, Minnesota. John was a beloved and longtime member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church. He was also actively involved in the American Dairy Association serving in multiple leadership positions.

In 1981 John moved his family to Anderson, Texas to enter the energy industry. He worked the majority of the time as a heavy equipment operator and transitioned into maintenance for Texas Municipal Power Agency. John continued to farm and ranch on a part-time basis. In 2008 John was employed by Texas A&M; he had his grandson Jordan helping him remove the sheep program fencing, and he continued mowing pastures on the A&M campus until 2015. He was a member of the Lions Club in Iola and was very proud of being an active member at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, College Station serving as usher, greeter, reader, and attending Sunday School.

In 2015 John & Janis moved to Kerens, Texas to be closer to family. They enjoyed living inside the city limits for the first time in their married lives and enjoyed the community. They felt blessed to attend the Kerens First United Methodist Church and felt lovingly embraced by the church family on their arrival to Kerens.

Most importantly John loved His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, he lived his faith through example to his family, friends and all those around him.

John is survived by his devoted wife, Janis Ruen; daughter Joyce and husband Dale Crawford; son Joel and wife Becky Ruen; daughter Julie and husband Michael Nordman; son Jeff and wife Wendy Ruen; and son Jason and wife April Ruen. He was blessed with grandchildren including Connor and Chelsea Crawford, Jordan, Stephen and Evan Ruen, Tyler, Joseph and Hannah Nordman, Hudson, Noah and Jax Ruen, Luke Fry, and Meagan Ruen. John being the eldest of a large family is also survived by his brothers: Charles and the late Gloria Ruen, Edward and Katie Ruen, Don and the late Mary Ruen, and Jim Ruen and Wendy Wellnitz-Ruen, and his sister Joy Moen and husband Lowell, along with beloved in-laws, numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. John was blessed with precious friends and neighbors throughout his life, to God be the Glory!

Friends and neighbors are invited to attend the memorial service 10:00 a.m. Saturday, November 2, at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in College Station, Texas. A Celebration of Life service will be held in Lanesboro, Minnesota November 24 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39