Ruby Mueller

Ruby Mueller (nee Grorud), 95, of Chicago, Ill., passed away peacefully on the evening of June 18, 2019, at Norwegian Lutheran Bethesda Rehab & Senior Care, in Chicago.
Ruby was born on May 23, 1924, to Helmer and Josephine (nee Johnson) Grorud and grew up on the family farm in Drammen, Wis. She graduated from Mondovi High School. At the age of 21, she moved to the “big city” Chicago with her twin sister, Ruth, and worked for the U.S. Government. It was in Chicago she met and married the love of her life, Walter (Wally) Robert Mueller. On crutches, she married Wally on March 18, 1950. She refused to let breaking her ankle a few weeks before the wedding postpone marrying Wally. Together they had five sons and were together until Wally’s passing in 1991.
After Wally’s passing, Ruby loved spending time visiting with her children and grandchildren, rooting for her beloved Cubs and Blackhawks. She enjoyed lutefisk and lefse, especially with the family on Christmas Eve. She fondly reminisced about her life on the farm with her family, her trips to Eau Claire with her brother Calvin and her twin sister Ruth.
Although Ruby spent her last 74 years in Chicago, she was always a farm girl at heart, which is probably where she developed her love of kittens. Some of her fondest memories were of Drammen, Mondovi, Eau Claire and fishing trips to Rhinelander. Ruby had an uncanny ability to remember birth dates, anniversaries and special events of family and friends and a day wouldn’t go by without her sharing a story about whose birthday or anniversary it was. She absolutely loved receiving cards and letters from family. She would proudly display and share them whenever someone stopped by for a visit.
She is survived by her children, Kurt, Chris (Patricia), Scott (Sandy), Todd (Jeannie) and Chuck (Rhonda); her grandchildren, Misty (Nick), Melissa, Tracy (Jake), Brock, Nichole, Michael (Samantha), Brian (Megan), Korey, Nicholas, Roxanne and Brent; her great-grandchildren, Jack, Signe, Alex, Ariel, Angelica, Michael, Hunter, Evelytte-Rose, Thea and soon to be arriving Harper; many nieces, nephews, cousins and their families.
Ruby was preceded in death by her parents. Helmer and Josephine Grorud; her husband, Walter Mueller; her grandson, Sean Robert Mueller; her nine siblings and their spouses, brothers Albert (Erika), Alerd (Hazel), Verner (Josephine), Vilas (Elvira), Calvin (Arline), and sisters Pearl (Arnold) Finseth, Hethel (Otto) Erdman, Corraine (Allen) Johnson and Ruth (Fred) Kalseth.
The family wishes to thank the caregivers, residents and entire staff at Bethesda Rehab & Senior Care for the exceptional care, love and support they have provided over the last seven months and to Great Lakes Hospice, which provided comfort and companionship. We are eternally grateful. We would also like to thank our extended families, friends, neighbors and co-workers for all their love and support.
The family is honoring Ruby’s wishes to not have a funeral or memorial service but to keep her in our hearts and remember her as she was. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given in Ruby’s name to Bethesda Rehab & Senior Care, 2833 N Nordica, Chicago, IL 60634 or to your favorite charity.
Funeral arrangements entrusted to Casey Laskowski Funeral Home. For more information please call 773-777-6300 or www.caseylaskowskifh.com.