Ruth Marie (Whalen) JENNE

Ruth Marie (Whalen) JENNE
January 10, 1926 - December 31, 2011

Ruth Jenne

Ruth Marie (Whalen) JENNE of Kirkland, Washington, went to be
with the Lord on 12/31/11, just short of her 86
th birthday. Ruth was born to Jesse Francis Whalen and
Mary Claire (Mae) Deegan, in Wheeling, West Virginia. As a child
she played Jacks which was good practice for surgical nursing.
Ruth graduated from St. Joseph's Academy (high school), class of
1943 and later trained as a registered nurse in Washington, DC as
the nation expanded capacity for WWII. Ruth graduated from
Providence Division, School of Nursing of the Catholic University
of America in Washington, DC, in 1946. She met her husband Charles
J. Jenne there while he was in medic training for the Pacific
theater.
After the war, they married and relocated to Seattle, Washington
where she continued surgical nursing at Swedish Hospital while he
attended the University of Washington in engineering. In 1949, they
moved to Juneau to live near his family and begin their own family.
Ruth was active in support activities for St. Ann's Catholic Church
and Parochial School.
After their four children were in school, Ruth started her
career with the airlines as a ticket agent for Pacific Northern
Airlines. She enjoyed working with the public and in 1966 the
family relocated to Ketchikan while Charles worked nearby. In
Ketchikan, Ruth worked for Western Airlines and she finished her
career at Alaska Airlines.
Due to her background in West Virginia, she was a lifelong union
supporter and sustained a reduction in seniority by honoring picket
lines. She maintained close friendships with co-workers and
particularly enjoyed teaming with Joyce Anderson and Ann Matsumoto
at career's end, saying they were "the three musketeers and had a
lot of laughs". Over the years, she was fortunate to do some
traveling, winning an employee drawing for a trip to Europe for
herself and her husband in 1964. They enjoyed it greatly, including
an historical snow storm in Rome, shopping for stylish clothes and
"eating their way through Europe and losing weight". She also
traveled to Yugoslavia, Japan, and Ireland and joined fellow
airline employees on a safari to Africa.
Charles preceded her in death in 1981. After retirement, Ruth
relocated to the Seattle area where she enjoyed opera and theatre,
became a dedicated fan of the Mariners, and volunteered with
members of her Charismatic Prayer group to make sandwiches for a
lunch program of Holy Family Church in Kirkland. Her daughter and
son-in-law Kathleen and Dave McKinney, created an apartment in
their home where Ruth finished her life in comfort.
Ruth is survived by her children Maureen Jenne of Oregon,
Kathleen (David) McKinney of Washington, Paul Jenne and Deirdre
(Steven) Brandow and grandson Ronald Brandow of Ketchikan as well
as granddaughter Karilyn (Jason) Schaffer and three great-grandsons
Austin, Brandon, and Keiran in Colorado, and niece Virginia
Donaldson of California and nephew David Kenway of Utah.
The family would like to extend our gratitude to Evergreen
Hospice for the fine support they provided during Ruth's last days.
We are also very appreciative of the help we got from hospice
volunteer and close friend, Jan Emory.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American
Lung Association, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 800, Washington,
DC 20004,
http://www.lungusa.org/ or a charity of
your choice.
A Memorial Mass will be held on Tuesday, January 10
th, 2012, at 11 am, with a reception to follow at Holy
Family Catholic Church, 7045 120th Avenue NE Kirkland, WA
98033-8197,
http://www.hfk2.org/index.html
Ruth's final resting place with be with her husband, at Bay View
Cemetery in Ketchikan, Alaska. A graveside service will be held in
Ketchikan at a later date.

Correspondence may be sent to: Kathleen Jenne McKinney, 12930 NE
131
st Place, Kirkland, WA 98034. Please leave a comment or
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