Obituary of Ruth Isabell Svendsen

Ruth Isabell Svendsen, 96, of Zion, IL, went to be with her Lord on January 19, 2020. Ruth was born April 25, 1923, a daughter to William and Kathleen Russell and twin sister to Esther. Ruth and Esther were the first set of twins born in the Zion Hotel. Ruth was raised a member of Christ Community Church and was an active member of the church her entire life. She was saved in the original tabernacle and served as a member of the Guardettes as a young girl. As a young woman, Ruth caught the eye of a young man named John Svendsen. They married in Zion on May 20, 1943 and went on to raise five children. Ruth worked for Abbott Labs and Warwick Electronics. She and John enjoyed traveling the United States, especially the western national parks. Besides her family, her biggest passion in life was horses. Ruth is survived by her loving children, Linda (Pat) Callahan, Sandra de Bruyn, Judy (Mike) Hamann, John (Luanne) Svendsen, and Terri Cook; grandchildren, Tim Callahan, Chris Callahan, Erick de Bruyn, Jordanna (Brett) Metzger, Matthew (Anna) Miller, Corrie Svendsen, Casey Svendsen, Lukas Cook, and Megan Cook; great-grandchildren, Emerald, Faith, Adelynn, Brienne, Roman, Kyan, Louden, Eli, and Arie; and a sister, Billie (Ron) Brever. Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, John; an infant daughter, Georgianna; an infant grandson, Travis Miller; father and mother, William and Kathleen Russell; sisters, Esther (Jeff) Crider, and Francis Burkett; and a son-in-law, Antoon de Bruyn. A visitation will be held on Thursday, January 23, 2020 from 10:00 until 11:00 a.m. at the Congdon Funeral Home, 3012 Sheridan Road, Zion, IL. A funeral service will begin at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Mike McDowell, officiating. Interment will follow at Mt. Olivet Memorial Park, Zion.