Ruth McClain rejoined her traveling buddy, Bob, in the Great RV Park in God's beautiful desert on January 12, 2019.  She left this world surrounded by peace and love at her daughter's home in Minneapolis after a year-long battle with cancer.  She didn't let the illness define her and kept herself busy right up to the end. To those of you who really knew her, you knew how much she hated just sitting around and not doing something...so you know what keeping busy to the end meant...cleaning!  Gosh she cleaned and cleaned.  The night before she passed, she was cleaning her daughter's stove top.  Mom, you can rest now and stop cleaning...put the rag down!

Born February 14, 1943, to Clifford and Pearl Anderson, Ruth grew up in western Minnesota along with her two brothers, Bud and Leon, and two sisters, Pat and Gloria.  Graduating from Elbow Lake, she eventually made her way down to the Minneapolis area where she met and married Bob McClain in 1962.  Beginning their travels by first raising their family in Minneapolis, then moving to Stacy, MN and finally moving to Cook in 1976.

As her children, Sheila, Darin, DJ and Brandi, we remember a mom who was never shy about speaking her mind, knowing everything she said was said in love, was an extremely hard worker, taught us how to love reading (I mean seriously, mom always had a stack of books she was reading and we are pretty sure the librarians at the library she visited in Minneapolis are going to wonder where she is after feeding her habit this past year), baked some of the most awesome treats we've ever had (if anyone has her recipe for chocolate chip meringue bars we'd be ever so grateful), was quietly artistic and creative and was a woman of great faith.  She enjoyed her flower gardens, sauna's, picking rocks and, of course, traveling the Western United States with Bob and the rest of her crew.

Ruth is predeceased by her husband, Robert McClain Jr., and parents Clifford and Pearl Anderson.  She is survived by her children, Sheila (James Edward) Minick of San Diego, CA; Darin (Melissa) of Virginia, MN; DJ (Emily) of Burnsville, MN; and Brandi of Minneapolis, MN; grandchildren Benjamin (Brittany Rowe), Bryce and Bethany Minick; Michael (Heidi), Brianna and Gabriel McClain; Cameron, Isaac and Poppy McClain and Paige (Brendan) Sundstrom; Great Grandchildren Joseph and Austin Cox, Aurora and Atreyu Minick; and Leah and Asher Sundstrom.  Other survivors include siblings, Patricia (David) Allen; Bud (Mona) Anderson; Gloria (Don) Weigand and Leon Anderson; brother and sister-in-law Gene and Sandee McClain, many nieces and nephews and too many granddogs and grandcats to name.

A celebration of life will be held in the Spring.  Should friends or family desire, memorial donations may be sent to: Sand Lake Shuffle, PO Box 487, Virginia, MN 55792.

Lo, There do I see my Father, and

Lo, there do I see my Mother, and

Lo, There do I see my Brothers and my Sisters and

Lo, There do I see my people back to the beginning, and

Lo they do call to me, and

bid me take my place among them in the halls of Valhalla,

Where the brave will live forever.

To leave an online condolence visit www.mlakerfuneralhome.com