Ruth Winnifred (Kuich) Austin, age 81, of East Helena

Ruth Winnifred (Kuich) Austin

Ruth Austin passed away January 2nd, 2024 at St. Peter’s hospital surrounded by her family. She had bravely battled pancreatic cancer for a year, but a bout of pneumonia diagnosed on Christmas Eve was just too much for her to overcome.

Ruth was born in Fort Benton, MT on October 27, 1942 to Aloysius and Mary Kuich. She was the youngest of 4 siblings and had two brothers and one sister.

She grew up in Great Falls and after graduating from Great Falls High, she moved to Omaha, Nebraska to find work. Shortly after moving there, she met the love of her life, Tom Austin, at a bowling alley.

Ruth and Tom were married on June 23, 1962 in Omaha. Ruth’s father attended the ceremony and brought a tiny maple tree spring from Nebraska to Great Falls to commemorate the marriage. He planted the tree in his yard, and it still stands today, and is one of the largest maple trees in the Great Falls area. The tree is a perfect representation of their marriage, it is strong, stable, and has had the ability to withstand any headwinds that come along.

Ruth and Tom moved back to Montana and settled in Great Falls to raise their 3 daughters: Cheryl, Laurie, and Teresa. Ruth was employed as a secretary at Malmstrom Air Force Base. In 1981, the family moved to Belgrade and in 1990, after their girls were grown, Ruth and Tom moved into Bozeman. Ruth worked at MSU in the Alumni Association until her retirement in 2004. Although Ruth was a working mother, she always had time to support her daughter’s school and sports activities and we had a family dinner together every night.

After retirement, Ruth and Tom moved to the Helena area and built their final home. Retirement gave them the freedom to travel and spend time with their grandchildren. Ruth loved being a grandma and rarely missed an opportunity to attend her grandchildren’s many school and sports activities. She was also thrilled to be a great grandma to her four great-grandchildren.

Living in Helena also put Ruth close to two of her favorite things, their boat on Holter Lake and their cabin in Wolf Creek. Ruth grew up fishing and boating with her dad and she continued that tradition with her children and grandchildren.

Her Catholic faith was an important part of her life, she attended mass faithfully and volunteered to help where she could.

Ruth was an inspiration to her family, from her 61-year commitment to her husband, her love of family, her work ethic, and her toughness in facing adversity. She was a breast cancer survivor and faced her pancreatic cancer diagnosis head-on. We all have so many reasons to look up to her.

Ruth was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings. She is survived by her husband, Tom, her daughters; Cheryl (Imani) Austin, Laurie (Ken) Frost, and Teresa (Scott) Dringle; her grandchildren; Jarret Austin, Reece (Holly) Dringle, Jackie (Matt) Roller, Laynee (Wyatt) Carda, and Tommy Frost and her great-grandchildren; Addison and Tanner Dringle; and Eleanor and Evelyn Roller.

Donations in her name can be made to the St Peter’s Health Foundation or Benefis Peace Hospice. Cremation has taken place, and a memorial service will be planned for a later date.

Ruth’s family would like to thank St. Peter’s Cancer Center, Dr. Bigger, and the rest of the staff for their care and compassion during Ruth’s treatment. We would also like to thank the staff at the ICU unit for taking such great care of her during the last week of her life.

Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 12:00 p.m. on February 9th at Ss Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in East Helena.

Service Schedule

Funeral Mass

12:00 p.m.

Friday February 9, 2024

Ss Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church

120 W. Riggs Street

East Helena, Montana 59636

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