Ruth Elizabeth Fritsch

Our dear mother, wife, sister, aunty Ruth Elizabeth Fritsch (Haynes), lost her three year long battle with cancer and passed into glory on Friday November 7th, 2025. We honour her and acknowledge the goodness and mercy of God shown to her in this life.

Ruth was born on April 11, 1948 in Pomona, California to Robert and Elizabeth Haynes and she is survived by her older brother, John Haynes and younger sister, Joy Marsh (Haynes). She married William James Fritsch in July 18th, 1969 and together they had three children, William

Terry in 1970, Ruthie Elaine in 1972, and Timothy Johnathan in 1977. We are united in our grief but also in thanking God for the gift that her life was to us.

Her first years were spent in Pomona, California, then the family moved to West Des Moines, Iowa where she went to primary school. Robert and Elizabeth were pastors so there was a bit of moving around for ministry. Ruth graduated from High School in Venture, California in 1966 and then went on to study at Eugene Bible College and later Oral Roberts University. There, she was a singer in the “World Action Singers” and did work on TV and toured the Caribbean with the group. She met her husband, Bill, when her parents moved to Spokane, Washington to pastor the Open Bible Church. They both played in the orchestra together and eventually ended up at Oral Roberts University at the same time.

Ruth was an excellent cellist and played in Orchestras for many years. She passed her love of music onto her children with Bill who was the Director of Sacred music for many years at Eugene Bible College.

Ruth had a sharp intellect and an insacious love of learning. She loved the Word of God and she longed for the rapture and the fulfillment of every promise given to us in Scripture. She had a green thumb and loved plants. She also helped with all of the animal husbandry with raising cows and sheep, chickens. Her love for tasty food drove her ability to become a great cook, of which we were all the beneficiaries. Her main favorite ingredients of course were butter, cream, and garlic.

In 1983, the Fritsch Family borrowed the grandparents’ motor home and went on the road. They sang at churches all over the West Coast.

In the late 80’s, they moved up to Washington State where Ruth managed an Apartment complex and helped design the houses Bill was building.

Ruth always loved the sunshine and wilted in winter when the sun didn’t come out.

She came alive when in 2005 they moved to Tennessee where the sun shines most of the year, after all why stay in Oregon if your boys are both in Tennessee, her daughter had moved to Australia and although sunny, it was just too far to contemplate moving to. Ruth loved her grandkids very much and was their biggest fan. She prayed for them every day and waited expectantly to hear all of their news, exploits. You will be missed!

We comfort ourselves in the knowledge that God knows our days. At times you only see the assurance of this when you look back on a loved one’s life. When we looked at the family we noticed, Robert Haynes, Ruth’s dad, died in 2005, Elizabeth her mom, died in 2015, ten years after him and Ruth died in 2025, ten years after her mother. We don’t know our days but God does, and we are so glad that mom ran a good race and made it to the end of her life, loving the Lord and loving her family.

We thank God for the last three years we had with her, even though some of those days were full of pain and tears, every one of them was special.

We honour her and send her off with Jesus to her forever home, where there is no more pain and crying, and peace abounds and where life is more real than it is here.

Thank you to those who joined the family in Columbia, Tennessee and online for the graveside committal that was held at 3pm on Tuesday, November 11th, 2025, your love and presence were a great comfort to us.

Psalm 116:15 says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”