Obituary of Ruth Mae Nielsen

GENEVA – Ruth M. Nielsen, 96, died at Living Center North on Wednesday (May 25, 2016) with family members at her bedside. Burial will be at Maple Grove Cemetery in Waterloo at 10 a.m. on Saturday (June 4) followed by a memorial service and reception at the Presbyterian Church in Geneva at 1 p.m. Rev. Dr. Deborah Lind-Schmitz, pastor of the church, and Rev. Steven Beals, pastor of West Fayette Presbyterian Church, will officiate. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Presbyterian Church of Geneva, 24 Park Place, Geneva, NY, 14456, West Fayette Presbyterian Church, 21 Maple St., Seneca Falls, NY, 13148 or the charity of one's choice . Ruth was born in MacDougall, on Dec. 2, 1919, the daughter of Glenn and Marian Stone Balleitt. She graduated from Geneva High School in 1938. On January 29, 1941 she married Marchant S. Nielsen and began married life at the Nielsen Farm in Seneca County, where they lived for over 30 years. She was a member of Seneca County Women's Farm Bureau. She was an active member of West Fayette Presbyterian Church. She created many handmade items for the yearly Harvest Bazaar and most recently she crocheted shawls for the Finger Lakes Visiting Nurse Service and Hospice Program. In 1975, Marchant and Ruth built a year round home on Seneca Lake. In their retirement, they spent part of the year at the lake and spent winters in Key Colony Beach, Fla. Family was the most important thing in her life! She is survived by her daughters, Sandra Ditch of Geneva and Barbara Nielsen of Greenbrae, Calif.; son, Gary Nielsen of Waterloo; grandchildren, Gregory Ditch, Alan (Angela) Ditch, and Andrew Ditch, Adam Nielsen, Nathan (Jessica) Nielsen, Jeffrey (Jody) Nielsen, and Michael (Dana) Nielsen; great-grandchildren, Gabriel Ditch, Jeffrey, Daniel, Nicolas, Alexandria, Troy, Easton and Jaxon Nielsen; step-great-grandchildren, Logan and Whitney Emmick; sister, Arlene DeBolt; and many nieces and nephews. Ruth was predeceased by her husband, Marchant S. Nielsen; a son, Robert; her parents, Glenn and Marian Balliett; her sister, Esther Hamling; and brothers-in-law, Stanley Hamling and Jackson DeBolt. The family wishes to express their heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Mark Ryan, Dr. Timothy Malins, the staff at Seneca Lake Terrace, Living Center South Rehab and Living Center North II for the care and compassion given to our mother. Condolences for the family may be sent to www.coegenungfuneralhome.com.