(nee Dew) Ruth Catherine Jaeger passed away on Sept. 22, 2024, of congestive heart failure while in hospice care at Eastcastle Place in Milwaukee. Her death came eight days before her 99th birthday.

Beloved mother of Jim (Kaye) of Rhinelander; Mark (Christine) of Oostburg; Mary (Jim) of Novi, Mich.; Kurt (Sarah) of Omaha, Neb.; Kathy (Joe) of Fitchburg; Beth (Steve) of Mooresville, N.C.; Joan (Rick) of Northfield, III.; and Jane (Eric) of Milwaukee. She is further survived by grandchildren Scott (Jen) Jaeger, Stacy (Peter) Becker, Rebecca (Sean) Scobell, Sara (Zach) Hilbers, Emily Jaeger, Anna Ruth (Chad) Davidson, Jackie (James) Garcia, Peter Sylvester, Tyler (Rebecca) Kenefick, Trevor (Jordan) Kenefick, Kirsten Kenefick, Jonathan Kardatzke, Conner Carmichael and Jackson Carmichael; and 13 great-grandchildren.

She was born in Oconomowoc, Wis. on Sept. 30, 1925, the daughter of John and Margaret Dew. That year her father was admitted to the Veterans Administration hospital for treatment of disabilities suffered during World War 1. He never returned to his family.

Ruth - known to her friends as Dewey - and her two brothers, John Robert "Bob" and Gerald Dew, were raised by their devoted single mother through the depths of the Great Depression.

After high school, she attended Marquette University for two years, with tuition paid for by her brother Jerry while he served in the Army during World War II. When he returned from overseas, Ruth entered the civilian workforce as a switchboard operator.

While working at the Federal Housing Administration office in Milwaukee, she met a young appraiser who would become her husband, John H. Jaeger. They married on April 7, 1951, before heading to California, where her husband served as a first lieutenant with the U.S. Marine Corps. He eventually earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart in Korea.

The couple spent most of their married lives on the South Side of Milwaukee.

To confirm that God truly has a sense of humor, Ruth often confided that she never really liked little children when growing up. She went on to have three sons and five daughters. From that burgeoning family, Ruth had 14 grandchildren, a step-granddaughter and 13 great-grandchildren - and fiercely championed each one.

John Jaeger preceded his wife in death on Jan. 2, 1997.

Ruth was an avid reader and crossword puzzle solver, as well as an enthusiastic supporter of the Milwaukee Brewers and the Green Bay Packers.

Everyone who knew her was struck by her compassionate mother's heart for everyone, deep faith and ever-present smile and laughter.

The family wishes to express its deepest gratitude to Legacy Hospice and the skilled nursing staff at Eastcastle Place.

Visitation MONDAY, September 30, 2024 from 9:30-10:30 AM at St. Veronica Catholic Church, 4001 S. Whitnall Ave., Milwaukee. Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 AM. Interment to follow at Woodlawn Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers donations are requested to ARC Wisconsin or Heart of the Nation.