A Funeral Service for Ruby Norstebon of Roseau, MN will be held on Monday, December 16, 2024 at 11:00AM at Helgeson Funeral Home in Roseau, MN. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Interment will take place at Moe-Rose Cemetery in Roseau, MN.
The family of Ruby Norstebon are saddened to announce her passing December 7, 2024. Ruby was born 2 miles east of Swift, Minnesota on June 26, 1928, to the late Chester and Ethel (Ball) Fuller. As a child she also lived in Williams and eventually moved to Warroad where she attended school. As a young woman she worked in Page’s Café in Warroad. She met her husband to be, Melvin Norstebon, in the 1940’s. They were married on November 25, 1950, in Henning, MN. They lived on the family farm north of Roseau (Minnesota Hill area) for the rest of their married lives. Their marriage was blessed with eight children: Richard (LaRayne) Fuller; Marcia (Bruce) Davis; Darrell (Mary); Gloria (James) Knight-Smith; Leroy (Wendy); Carol (Richard) Doremus; Arlyn (Sandy) and Kaylyn (Keith) Battles. At time of her passing she had 22 grandchildren, 62 great-grandchildren and 17 great-great grandchildren.
Ruby was a homemaker and started working at Christies Café in the 1960’s. Soon after that she started her career with Polaris Industries, a turning point in her life. She remained there for 30 years, retiring in 1997. Her career at Polaris included several jobs: assembly, running turning lathes and milling machines as well as spot welding. She enjoyed her coworkers. In an August 23, 2014, Roseau Times-Region article, she was described as “typical of the farm wives who made Polaris what it is today”.
Ruby was known as a strong, determined woman who worked hard to ensure her children had a better life than she did. She endured the loss of two homes because of fires. She was proud to always pay for everything with cash, including her first, brand new 3-bedroom home.
She loved family visits, playing Yahtzee, marbles and cards with family. Her grandchildren remember her for being a math whiz, always adding up scores faster than her game opponents. Her door was always open to her home and fridge! Noone ever left her home hungry. Grandchildren recall enjoying her warm, delicious cinnamon and caramel rolls when they visited after school. She made lots of quilts, knitted socks, scarves, mittens and slippers and made other homemade gifts to give away to family. She loved birds, flowers and her cat, Pesky.
Ruby passed away peacefully December 7, 2024, at Perham Living Nursing Home in Perham, MN with loving family at her side. She was 96 years of age.
Preceding her in death were her parents, husband Melvin, daughter Gloria and son Richard (survived by wife, LaRayne Gjovik); 2 grandchildren, Britney Norstebon and Brenda Anderson-Lane; 2 great-grandchildren, Tucker Fuller and Tucker Robert Anderson. Her sisters: Ida, Pearl, Beryl, Evelyn, Esther, Cleo, Hazel and Lois and her brothers: Clarence, Alton, Bill, Ralph and Donald.
She will be dearly missed by family and friends. Our blessed mother, rest in peace.
Last modified: 12/11/2024
