Ruth Josephine Brinkerhoff (Hellman)

Ruth Josephine (Hellman) Brinkerhoff passed away Saturday, Dec. 27, 2014, peacefully in sleep and in her Missoula home of close to 50 years. She was 85 years old. Ruth spent the last week of her life at home with family around her, reminiscing and celebrating her life during the Christmas season. Her last active, waking moments were celebrating Christmas Eve with all of her children and grandchildren at her home and by her side.

Ruth Josephine Hellman was born May 5, 1929, in Kalispell to Amos and Ellen Hellman, who were of Czech (Bohemia) and Austrian (Tyrol) heritage. Ruth grew up on a family farm in the Flathead Valley near Columbia Falls. She loved the outdoors, working in her parents' garden and swimming in the Flathead River. Ruth attended grade school at Bad Rock and graduated from Columbia Falls High School in 1947, where she ranked second academically and was class salutatorian. Ruth attended Montana State University in Bozeman. She returned to Columbia Falls and worked in the offices of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to support the Hungry Horse Dam project. Ruth greatly enjoyed her professional work.

Ruth married John W. Brinkerhoff on March 20, 1951, at the Alameda Naval Station in Oakland, California. A few weeks later, Ruth and her mother drove her 1932 Chevy from Columbia Falls to Oxnard, California, where her husband, John, was stationed in the Navy. Ruth and her mother loved reminiscing about their drive and road-trip adventure, seeing giant redwood trees for the first time, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and enjoying other sites along coastal Highway 1. Ruth and John left Oxnard when John began his career with the U.S. Forest Service. They started their family while living at ranger stations in Coram, Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and Trout Creek. During that time, their children were born – Alice, Coleen, Don and Greg. In the fall of 1963, Ruth and John moved their family to Missoula, where they raised their children and where Ruth would live for the remainder of her life.

Throughout her life in Missoula, Ruth was an avid gardener and loved her flower gardens most of all. In the 1960s and early 1970s, she had a large flower garden in the front of her property and many times passers-by would pull their cars into her driveway or off the shoulder of the road to stop and admire her flowers. Iris, petunias, daffodils, Sweet Williams, marigold, lupine, daisies, pansies, carnations, tulips and poppies (among others) all grew in her garden; quite a few rose and lilac bushes peppered her front and backyards, too. She raised many varieties of flowers and loved poring over her Burpee seed catalogs during the winter months in anticipation of spring and a new growing season.

Ruth loved to travel and plan trips as well. Her favorite places were typically tropical and warm, most notably, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands and Caribbean. She also traveled with Elder Hostel to many places throughout the U.S. and her last "big trip" was to see the Grand Canyon with her daughter, Alice.

Ruth is survived by her four children, their spouses and eight grandchildren, Alice, John, Gene, Jake and Jesse Sol of Missoula; Coleen, Bob, Brian and Kyle Anderson of Missoula; Don, Donna, Timothy and Layla Brinkerhoff of Fort Benton; and Greg, Lia and Anika Brinkerhoff of San Francisco. Ruth is also survived by her ex-husband, John Brinkerhoff of Columbia Falls.

Ruth was an honest, generous and kind person. She gave excessively more than she ever received, which is how she lived her life. She will be missed and remembered always in our prayers. We love you, Mom; we love you, Grandma.

A memorial Mass will be held 10:30 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church on Saturday, Jan. 10. A reception will follow thereafter at the home of Coleen and Bob Anderson. Funeral arrangements are being coordinated by Garden City Funeral Home.
Read Ruth Brinkerhoff's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.