Kermit and Ruth Ratzlaff celebrate 60th anniversary years ago
Kermit and Ruth Ratzlaff of Hillsboro celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary July 27-31 with their five children, grandchildren, and great- grandchildren in Keystone, Colo.
Kermit Omer Ratzlaff of Balko, Okla., and Ruth Evelyn Warkentin of Dinuba, Calif., were married Aug. 11, 1944, in Los Angeles, Calif.
Five children were born to them while they lived in Pasadena, Calif. Later, they lived in west Los Angeles and in Edwardsville, Ill., where Kermit was a biology professor at Southern Illinois University for 30 years.
After retirement, they moved to Hillsboro where Kermit has been active with Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church, the Hillsboro Senior Center, Lions Club, Grand Oaks Apartments, Adobe House Museum, MDS, and Tabor College.
Ruth has taught Sunday School and worked at the Et Cetera Shop in Hillsboro.
The family spent several days together hiking, biking, shopping, and sharing. One evening, quiz shows were staged based on interesting and obscure facts about family members' names. The celebration culminated in a Cajun-themed buffet dinner followed by singing, a slide show, and storytelling at Lake Dillon Lodge on July 29.
The members of the family are: Ken and Virginia Ratzlaff of Lawrence with their children, Michael Ratzlaff and his daughter, Gypsy, Jonathan and Samantha Ratzlaff and their daughter, Kathryn, and James and Rebekah Bateman of Ozawkie and their daughter, Makayla; Ron and Nancy Ratzlaff of St. Charles, Mo. and their children, Deborah, Mark, and Stephen; Dave and Elizabeth Ratzlaff of Batavia, Ill., and their children, Kristin and Jared Myers and Andrew; Marilyn and Warren Lovinger of Nevada, Mo., and their children, Sarah, Tom, Laura, and Dan; Gene and Jewel Ratzlaff of Hopewell Junction, N.Y., and their children, Caitlin and Lucas.
Also in attendance were the couple's sister-in-law Beatrice Warkentin of Fresno, Calif., their niece Sharon Ewert of Clovis, Calif. and their nephew John Warkentin of Santa Barbara, Calif.
In lieu of gifts, the family has established the Kermit and Ruth Ratzlaff 60th Anniversary Fund for the Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church Library.
