On the quiet, spring afternoon of April 20, 2015, our beautiful mother and matriarch of our family, Ruth May Nelson Ross, passed away at the age of 89. She was the sole surviving sibling of the 7 children of Nels Peter and Lily Bailey Nelson. Ruth was born May 21, 1925, in Salt Lake City, and raised in the family home on 7th East and 9th South, very near Liberty Park, where, at night, she said, "you could hear the lion roar."
She has had an extraordinary life. During WWII, she worked as a secretary at the Pentagon, in Washington, DC. Returning home, she worked for War Assets, the Red Cross and the Veterans Administration, subsequently becoming an executive secretary at Kennecott Copper for 29 years, and then a legal secretary for Van Cott Bagley Cornwall and McCarthy for 10 years, all the while forming friendships that have lasted 70 years.
She was always a lady, with impeccable taste, fun, kind, without guile and had an extra dose of quiet dignity, who ultimately became "the grandmother that every child wishes he could have."
Ruth is survived by Kathy and Mont Mickelson Jr., 5 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 25, 2015, at Larkin Mortuary, 260 East South Temple, at 1:00 p.m. with a viewing from 12-12:45 p.m. prior to the services.
