Ruth Erickson
1896 - 2005 (109 years)
Person ID: I0414 | Tree: Marlys Jones - Brodd Family | Last Modified: 3 Jul 2018
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Name Ruth Erickson Notes
A LIFE OVER THREE CENTURIES
Roseburg Oregon News-Review, January 18, 2005
Roseburg Woman Turns 109
When Roseburg resident Viki Sheldon was a little girl, she couldn't pronounce the word grandma," so she took to calling her grandmother "Bunny."
That name has stuck with Ruth Trued for decades, but lately it's taken on a different meaning. Sheldon jokes that her grandmother, who turned 109 years old on Saturday, is like the Energizer Bunny.
"She just keeps going," she said, smiling.
Born in 1896, Trued is one of the oldest women in Oregon.
"She must be at least in Douglas County," Sheldon said, "and probably in Oregon, I would think."
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, there were 15 people over the age of 100 in Douglas County and 650 people over 100 in Oregon. Twelve of those people statewide were at least 110 years old when the census data was compiled.
Trued has lived with Sheldon, who is also her caregiver, for the past nine years or so. Her grandmother spends most of her time resting on the couch in the front room of Sheldon's home, basking in the sunlight that pours in through the high wows.
Since she fell and broke her hip shortly after her 104th birthday, Trued doesn't get around the house much. She can't see or hear well and she doesn't often talk.
Sheldon's black and white cat likes to curl up with her grandmother on the couch and keep her company while she sleeps. In cat years, 18-year-old Rosie is a bit ahead of Trued in age.
"I call them my two old girls," Sheldon said.
Trued was born in 1896 in Swedeburg, Neb. She graduated from Luther Midland College and later attended the University of Nebraska and the University of Denver.
She dedicated much of her life to music, a passion that led to years of teaching piano and playing the organ for various churches.
"She was an excellent, top musician," said Jennie Nesseth of Roseburg, a longtime friend of Trued's. "Both of our children took piano lessons from her."
In 1943, Trued moved to Roseburg with her late husband, Clarence, whom she married in 1919. They soon began attending the First Christian Church of Roseburg where Clarence served as the choir director and Trued as the organist.
On Saturday, the family gathered at Sheldon's home for an intimate celebration including angel food cake, one of Trued's favorites.
Sheldon said her grandmother seemed particularly lucid that day and when she saw the cake said, "Oh, I just love that."
"She was just really with it and sweet," Sheldon said.
Members of the First Christian Church heard a special tribute to Trued on Sunday, which included a history of her life in the program. The congregation also listened to a recording of Trued playing the organ music her husband wrote.
Trued was known for her ability to "make the organ get up and dance," according to the program. Trued was unable to attend, however.
Sheldon attributes her grandmother's longevity in part to her healthy eating habits and her predilection to walking around the community for as long as she could.
"I think growing up, maybe once I saw her with a cold," she sai
Sheldon said she's thankful her grandmother is healthy enough to be surrounded by loved ones during the latter years of her life.
"In her mind," she said, "that's important."
Death Notices & Obituaries for May 27, 2005
Roseburg Oregon News-Review, May 27, 2005
TRUED, Ruth
Birth 15 Jan 1896 Swedeburg, Saunders County, Nebraska 
[1] Gender Female Died 26 May 2005 Roseburg, Douglas County, Oregon [1] Buried 4 Jun 2005 Roseburg National Cemetery, Roseburg, Douglas County, Oregon [1] -
Parents
Father Magnus Erickson (ID:I0137) Mother Betsy Diedrick (ID:I0842) Children 1. Ruth Erickson (ID:I0414)
(current person)
, b. 15 Jan 1896, Swedeburg, Saunders County, Nebraska d. 26 May 2005, Roseburg, Douglas County, Oregon (Age 109 years) -
Family
Husband Samuel Clarence Trued (ID:I0379), b. 20 Apr 1895, Ceresco, Saunders County Nebraska d. 19 Sep 1980, Roseburg, Douglas County, Oregon (Age 85 years) Marriage 28 Jun 1919 Children 1. 
Robert Ducret Trued (ID:I0415), b. 1 Apr 1920, Iowa d. 31 Jan 1981, Douglas County, Oregon (Age 60 years) -
Other Personal Events
1900 Federal Census 25 Jun 1900 Stocking Precinct, Saunders County, Nebraska [2] 1920 Federal Census 12 Jan 1920 Sioux City, Woodbury County, Iowa [3] 1930 Federal Census 8 Apr 1930 Denver City, Denver County, Colorado [4] -
Source Citations