Ruth V. Tweed

Ruth Jesness Tweed spent her life collecting stories, which she enjoyed sharing and retelling over a cup of coffee or on the written page. Ruth published two novellas and two collections of short stories and poems and wrote countless pieces of wisdom, advice and observations. Her family is grateful to have those words now, as the earthside chapter of her story has come to a close. Ruth passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Valley Senior Living on Columbia in Grand Forks. She was 97.

Ruth was born on October 14, 1926, and grew up on a farm near Cyrus, Minnesota, as the youngest of six children. After graduating from Cyrus High School, she attended Moorhead State Teachers’ College and received her teaching certificate. She taught for four years in Minnesota schools before enrolling in Augsburg College where she met her husband, Kenneth Tweed. The couple married on Aug. 19, 1951, near Hoffman, Minnesota.

Ruth taught elementary education in Minneapolis until the family began to grow. Four daughters later, they left the city for life in North Dakota. They spent most of their lives together on a farm near Binford. They also lived in Moorhead, Minnesota, for several years. During that time, Ruth earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and added a son to the family before returning to Binford. After retiring, Ruth and Ken served as head residents of Kroeze Hall at Jamestown College in North Dakota. 

Through all the years, Ruth continued to write. She wrote about her preference for simple things, including poems that she could understand. She had a quick wit and enjoyed making people laugh. She had an amazing memory right to the end. She loved her family and was pleased when the stories she told touched people. Put simply, Ruth lived by faith. In writing about her own father’s death, Ruth concluded a poem with this reflection:

But since that day my heart took wings

Back through the years, remembering things

That made him dear–his smile, his jokes,

His simple love for other folks.

His love for God, his love for me

I ask no other legacy.

She is preceded in death by her husband, her parents and her five siblings.

She is survived by four daughters, Naomi (Douglas) McCoy, Marcia (Dan) Klecker, Linnea Tweed, Lois Tweed; a son, Jonathan (Vonna) Tweed; seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

Services will be private.