Obituary of Ruth D. Liest

RUTH LORRAINE DAVIS LIEST Santa Cruz, Calif. 3-30-1916 --- 11-19-2011 Wife of the late, Dr. Leonard John Liest 1899 - 1983 Mother of Charlotte Helen Liest-Williams & Robert Boyd Liest Mother-in-law of Franklin Edward Williams & Karen Pracna Liest Grandmother of Patrice Nia-Joi Williams Daughter of the late, Loren Delbert Davis d. 1971 & the late, Helen Bucknum Davis d. 1940 Granddaughter of the late, Belle Elder Bucknum d. 1927 and the late, Frank Otis Bucknum d. 1959 Great granddaughter of the late, Mary Elizabeth Baldwin Bucknum Sister of the late, Pauline Davis Monaghan d. 2006 Sister-in-law of the late, James Emmett Monaghan d.2000 Aunt of Kathleen Dee Monaghan Diaz, Victoria Ann Monaghan Rendes, & Mark Davis Monaghan Mother to the late, Mary Lee Liest Mainville d. 2000, the late, Dr. Edward James Liest d. 1983, & the late, Joseph A. Liest d. 2009 Grandma Ruth to Margaret, Christine, Donna, Debra, Chuck, John, Tom, Debra, Teresa, Amy, Jennifer, & Kerry Raised in Baker, Oregon. Worked in Seattle, Washington during WWII. Married Dr. Liest in 1948. Moved from Ukiah,Calif. to Morro Bay, Calif. in 1954. Moved to Santa Cruz, Calif. in 1967. Ruth won a local Baker, Oregon beauty pageant when she was sixteen. As a result she traveled to The Golden Gate International Exposition (1939 and 1940), held at San Francisco, Calif., a World's Fair that celebrated, among other things, the city's two newly-built bridges. As a newlywed, Ruth was introduced to sailing and camping by her new family. Known as an accomplished cook and baker, Ruth enjoyed testing new recipes, and investigating new cooking techniques and tools. For many years she made bread for her family every week. Genealogy was a great interest of hers, which she shared with her husband. Ruth was a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Through Ruth's efforts, the large jacaranda tree in her Laurel Street front yard was registered as a Heritage Tree. She enjoyed being interviewed for the occasional summer articles in the Sentinel, when her jacaranda's lush, purple blossoms would stop traffic. Many thanks to Hospice of Santa Cruz, and Maple House II for the wonderful care given to Ruth in her last years. A celebration of Ruth Liest's life will be held after the first of the year at Oakwood Memorial Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations are preferred to the American Heart Association.