Ruth “Ruthie” Sather passed away on May 22, 2026 at Brentwood Senior Living Community in Rice Lake, WI. At the time of her passing, she was comforted by family members as she took her final journey.

Ruth was born on November 21, 1939 to Pete Krostag and Sarah (Badman) Krostag in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. She grew up in Cornell where she attended elementary, junior high, and high school.

After graduation, Ruth attended U.W.- Eau Claire and received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She taught 3rd and 4th grade at Locust Lane Elementary school for over 10 years. Eventually, Ruth earned her Library Science Degree from U.W.- Stout and was an elementary media specialist for the Eau Claire School District for an additional 10 years.

In 1981, Ruth’s career path changed when started working for Combase in St. Paul. There, Ruth was a content specialist in the development of computer based educational materials focusing on library science. In the late 1980’s, Ruth went from the corporate world back to the school setting as a media specialist at the Altoona School District until her retirement in 1996.

Ruth had a vibrant personality and enjoyed many activities. One of her favorite activities was shopping. She was proud of her three closets full of clothes in her Rice Lake apartment and her one huge closet of clothes in her Florida condo. Also, Ruth loved to spend time at her condo in Fort Myers where she would soak up the sun during the winter months. She enjoyed frequenting the local restaurants and shops on First Street.

In addition, Ruth loved entertaining family and friends for cocktail and dinner parties. With this, Ruth loved to cook and was always trying new recipes. When Ruth had some spare time, she loved to travel. She and her husband Bob travelled to Europe, Alaska, Texas, Mexico, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, as well as other states and countries.

After Bob’s passing in 2020, Ruth and her daughter, Tya, started taking cruises. One memorable cruise was through the Panama Canal. The last cruise they took together in November 2025 was a 14 day Southern Caribbean Cruise where Ruth relived her dancing days and became known as the “dancing queen” of the cruise ship.

When Ruth was at her apartment at Brentwood, she enjoyed playing bingo, putting together puzzles, and having Saturday happy hour and cards with the girls.

Ruth is survived by her only child, Tya (Sather) Shomion of Rice Lake; son-in-law, Michael Shomion of Rice Lake; granddaughters: Lindsay Shomion of Rice Lake, Lauren Shomion and boyfriend Nick Guzman of Plymouth, MN; and great granddaughter, Ava Shomion of Rice Lake. She is further survived by a sister Irene (Krostag) Haller of Bloomer, a brother, Pete Krostag and his wife Cathy of Pensacola, Florida. She also leaves behind various brother and sister-in-law’s, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

The family would like to thank the nurses and medical staff of Mayo in Barron, the staff at Brentwood Senior Living, and members of St. Croix Hospice for their excellent care for Ruth.

A celebration of life will be held on Friday, June 12, 2026 from 1-2:30PM at Appleyard’s Home for Funerals in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, with a service to begin at 2:30PM. Then her final toast of her favorites will be held at Lehman’s Supper Club in Rice Lake from 3-5:30.

Last Update: May 27, 2026 8:58 am CDT