Ruth Marquardt, 88, passed away peacefully February 20, 2022. Ruth was born on January 26. 1934 in Chicago, Illinois, to parents Cornelius and Helen VanderKooi. Ruth disliked her middle name so much, she would never tell anyone what it was, therefore, we have not used it here! Ruth is a proud 1951 graduate of Fenger High School in the Roseland neighborhood of Illinois. She often spoke with fond memories of riding her bicycle with her girlfriends all around town. After graduation she worked for an advertising company in downtown Chicago. Her favorite past time was to go skating at the local roller rinks, where she met her life long friends which they affectionally named, ‘The Club’ and where she met and fell in love with Wilbur Louis Marquardt. The couple were married in 1957. In her youth, Ruth was called upon to babysit all the neighborhood children and throughout the years she really enjoyed babysitting her nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Ruth loved reading and crosswords puzzles and was almost never seen without a book in her hand. Ruth was preceded in death by her husband Wilbur of 43 years. Ruth is survived by her five children and their spouses: Donald and Nancy Bright; Jerald and Cheryl Marquardt; Robert and Lori Amsden; Michael Marquardt and David Biener; and Raj and Lisa Nagaraja. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in her memory to the charity of your choice.