Ruth L. Nelson, age 96, Chicago, Illinois, daughter of the late Della Olmsted and Carl Nelson, died earlier this month.

After receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, Ruth began her illustrious career as a management trainee with the Mail Order Division of Montgomery Ward in St. Paul, Minnesota.  She then returned to her hometown of Chicago to join the Fulfillment Division of Time Inc. and was on the team to convert from a punch card system to a magnetic tape system.  Subsequently, she served as a systems and programming manager before moving to New York in 1977 to assume responsibility for Agency Marketing at Time Inc.  In October, 1985, she joined American Family Publishers as Vice President and Director of Publisher Relations and managed the launch of British Family Publishers in the UK in 1995.

After her retirement from corporate life at age 71, Ruth worked at Fifth Presbyterian Church in Manhattan where she built a religious education program from the ground up, whose focus was on serious theological study taught by professors from Ivy League universities.  The program was a great success and other institutions have modeled their programs upon that which she pioneered.  She also did church-related volunteer work in Colombia and was an active alumni of the University of Wisconsin, even establishing a Chair of Business.  Her various volunteer stints included The Central Park Conservancy  in New York, and after returning to Chicago in 2013, The Lincoln Park Conservancy, the Executive Service Corps, and Newberry Library.

Though Ruth was highly-accomplished in her career in an era when this was unusual for women, she was definitely not all about work.  Her ranging interests and activities included dancing, golfing, music, and travel.  She was an avid dancer, and frequented tango, salsa, and ballroom dance venues in New York City; she also played piano and was a jazz aficionado.  She went on a round-the-world trip in 2000 and participated in Semester at Sea in 2008, a multi-country study abroad program emphasizing global comparative study.  During the semester, her ship sailed down the western coasts of Central and South America, and she had the opportunity to zipline in Costa Rica at the age of 78!  She was one of the few lifelong learners on board and was apparently a rock star of sorts to the college students, and was even selected to deliver the commencement address.  Another travel adventure involved a trip to Ireland where she and a group of friends set out to play a different course every day - and they accomplished their goal!  Ruth never said "no" to an opportunity or an invitation, and this trait is part of what made her life so rich and full.

Ruth is survived by family in Genoa, Illinois, as well as a myriad of friends from all stages of her life.  While she will be greatly missed, she touched and influenced so many lives in a profound way.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on November 13, 2024 at Fourth Presbyterian Church, Buchanan Chapel, 127 E. Chestnut St., Chicago, IL, 60611, followed by a private event.

Donations in her honor can be made to:

UW Foundation (memo Ruth L. Nelson Chair in Business Fund #132998127, US Bank Lockbox, Box 78807, Milwaukee, WI, 53278-0807.

To sign the online guest book, go to ButalaFuneralHomes.com