{"id":1089,"date":"2025-12-07T13:56:30","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T19:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/?p=1089"},"modified":"2025-12-07T13:56:30","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T19:56:30","slug":"polk-county-mourns-ruthie-rystad-89","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/polk-county-mourns-ruthie-rystad-89\/","title":{"rendered":"Polk County Mourns Ruthie Rystad, 89"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fosston, MN\u00a0<\/strong>(trfnews.i234.me)\u00a0<\/a>\u2013 Family and friends in Polk County are remembering Ruth Marie \u201cRuthie\u201d Rystad.
\nShe died on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at The Meadows of Wadena in Wadena.
\nRuthie was 89.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"PhotoRuth Marie \u201cRuthie\u201d Rystad, longtime Fosston resident and beautician.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Early Years and Faith in Fosston<\/h2>\n

Ruth Marie (Hanson) Rystad was born July 28, 1936.
\nShe grew up in the Fosston area with family and friends close by.
\nShe was baptized and confirmed at Hope Lutheran Church in Fosston.
\nMore information about the congregation is on the\u00a0Evangelical Lutheran Church in America website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ruthie graduated from Fosston High School in 1955.
\nShe sang in the chorus and played the French horn in the band.
\nAfter high school, she moved to Minneapolis.
\nIn 1956, she attended beauty school there and trained as a beautician.<\/p>\n

Marriage, Family, and Farm Life<\/h2>\n

In 1957, Ruthie married Vernon \u201cBud\u201d Rystad.
\nThe couple lived in Minneapolis and Bagley before settling near Fosston.
\nThey eventually moved to a farm outside town.
\nThere, they raised their family and worked the land together.<\/p>\n

Ruthie loved caring for the yard and gardens on the farm.
\nShe and Bud spent many hours mowing, planting, and trimming.
\nShe took special pride in flowers and neat rows.
\nFamily recalls that her yard always looked welcoming.<\/p>\n

Years Behind the Chair as a Beautician<\/h2>\n

Ruthie worked for many years as a beautician in Fosston.
\nClients said her styling skills were excellent.
\nThey also said her listening ear meant just as much.<\/p>\n

Many customers returned for the friendly talk and support she offered.
\nHer chair became a place of trust and community.
\nShe was known for a warm smile and easy laughter.
\nPeople left feeling better about their day.<\/p>\n

Art, Decorating, and Time With Loved Ones<\/h2>\n

Ruthie had a keen eye for decorating.
\nShe liked to rearrange furniture or paint walls when inspired.
\nShe wanted her home to feel fresh, cozy, and inviting.<\/p>\n

She enjoyed charcoal drawing and sketching.
\nShe often worked her art into her home decor.
\nRuthie felt happiest when surrounded by friends and family.
\nShe loved big holiday gatherings and quiet times of shared stories.<\/p>\n

Family She Leaves Behind<\/h2>\n

Ruthie is survived by her daughters, Vicki and Sue.
\nVicki (Craig) Helling and their family include Mia Helling (Chris Breitenfeldt), Easten, and Rowan of Grand Forks, North Dakota; Patrick (Amy) Helling and Gradie of Fergus Falls; Kylee (Payton) Jordahl, Miles, and Hayes of Perham; and Tyler (Emily) Helling, Mylah, and baby Helling of Brainerd.<\/p>\n

She is also survived by Sue (Dean) Schnichels and their sons, Cole and Ethan, of Lakeville.
\nHer sister, Audrey (Kenny) Merschmann of Bemidji, also survives her.
\nSisters-in-law Donna Thomas and Carol Jean (Leo) Taflin remain as well.<\/p>\n

Ruthie was preceded in death by her husband, Vernon \u201cBud\u201d Rystad.
\nShe was also preceded by her parents, Eddie and Inga Hanson.
\nHer sister, Marjie Jeska, and her parents-in-law, Tommy and Clara Rystad, preceded her.
\nSister-in-law Alene Bjerklie, brothers-in-law Rod Bjerklie and Don Thomas, and special friend John Bjerken also passed before her.<\/p>\n

Service, Burial, and Online Condolences<\/h2>\n

An open house celebrating Ruthie\u2019s life was held on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
\nIt ran from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
\nThe gathering took place in the fellowship hall at Hope Lutheran Church in Fosston.
\nA short prayer service followed at 1:00 p.m.<\/p>\n

Interment will be in Hope Lutheran Cemetery at a later date.
\nFuneral arrangements are with Carlin Family Funeral Service of Fosston.
\nMessages of condolence may be shared on the\u00a0Carlin Family Funeral Service website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Grief support information and resources are also available from the\u00a0GriefShare program<\/a>
\nand other national groups.
\nFamily and friends say Ruthie will be remembered for her kindness, joy, and love.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m Chris Harper reporting for\u00a0TRF News<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fosston, MN\u00a0(trfnews.i234.me)\u00a0\u2013 Family and friends in Polk County are remembering Ruth Marie \u201cRuthie\u201d Rystad. She died on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at The Meadows of Wadena in Wadena. Ruthie was 89. Ruth Marie \u201cRuthie\u201d Rystad, longtime Fosston resident and beautician. Early Years and Faith in Fosston Ruth Marie (Hanson) Rystad was born July 28, 1936.… Continue reading Polk County Mourns Ruthie Rystad, 89<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[15],"tags":[1695,1697,768,1696,1693,1694,1674,1677,749,895,1690,1692,1699,1691,1700,1698],"class_list":["post-1089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-obits","tag-carlin-family-funeral-service","tag-charcoal-drawing-artist","tag-county","tag-fosston-beautician","tag-fosston-minnesota","tag-hope-lutheran-church-fosston","tag-minnesota-obituaries","tag-mourns","tag-obits","tag-polk","tag-polk-county-obituary","tag-ruth-marie-hanson-rystad","tag-ruthie","tag-ruthie-rystad","tag-rystad","tag-yard-and-garden-lover","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1089"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1094,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1089\/revisions\/1094"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}