Alice Ellwanger

Alice A. (Ruff) Ellwanger, 80, died peacefully on December 18, 2007 at home in Carrollton, TX, surrounded by her loving family, after a long and courageous battle with colon cancer. She is survived by her husband, Paul, of 57 years and 5 children.Janet(Thomas) Hardy of Massachusetts and their 9 children; Rita(Daniel) Turner of Indiana and their 5 children; John Ellwanger of Texas; Daniel(Christy) Ellwanger of Texas and their 5 children; and Joan(Robert) Lyons of Texas and their 4 children. She felt very blessed by the lives of her 5 children, 23 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, and 6 step-great-grandchildren. Alice was born in National, Iowa on May 23, 1927. She attended St. Josephs Mercy School of Nursing in Dubuque graduating in 1948. Her nursing class was the last in the Cadet Nurse Program. Her career as a Registered Nurse spanned 50 years working in a variety of hospitals in three different states. Alice was the daughter of the late Edmund & Clara (Berns) Ruff of Farmersburg. She lived most of her adult life away from Iowa, but made yearly trips back to visit the farms of her siblings. Her brother Erwin & Eileen Ruff live in McGregor; her sister Helen (Ruff) Farrell & Ray live in Elkader; and her brother Edmund Ruff, Jr. (Estelle) predeceased her in 1975. Estelle Ruff still lives on the family farm in Farmersburg. Alice always looked forward to visiting the Iowa folks and has numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends in the area. She was a loving wife, mother and grandmother who always looked for ways to serve others. She enjoyed gardening, canning, cooking, baking, crocheting and the talents of her many grandchildren. She will be missed by all who knew her.Funeral Service: Friday 10:30 A.M. December 21, 2007 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church Garnavillo, IowaGraveside Service: Friday 10:00 A.M. December 21, 2007 at St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery Garnavillo, IowaInterment: St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery Garnavillo, Iowa Service Information A service summary is not available