Jeanette RuBelle Towne, 93

RuBelle (Hanson)Towne passed away peacefully on November 25, 2023, at Lakewood Health Center in Baudette, MN at the age of 93. She was born on April 17, 1930, to John and Alma (Berg) Hanson, the third child of the family. Two siblings of RuBelle died in infancy in 1921 and 1923.

Rubelle started her education at the Boone School, walking there over a mile with teachers who boarded at the Hanson home. She attended Baudette High School and graduated with the class of 1947. That same year she started working for the First National Bank of Baudette and continued there for 15 years.

In 1962 RuBelle married Glenn Towne in Warroad. They left a short time later to farm in the Albert Lee area. While there RuBelle worked for Security State Bank and Trades Publishing Company. They returned to Boone Township and to their former jobs in 1965.

Before Glenn’s passing on March 16, 1998, he and RuBelle enjoyed attending dances in the surrounding area and traveling the country in their travel trailer. RuBelle continued working at First National Bank until 1995 when she retired. Her resume thereafter included jobs at the Lake of the Woods Tourism Bureau, Lake of the Woods Foods, Holiday Station Store, working with Dollar for Scholars, and supporting the Lake of the Woods Humane Society. She had two cats that she spoiled rotten! In addition, she was a caregiver to her Mother and Aunt Minnie until both passed away.

RuBelle lived in town for a while after Glenn’s passing. Her coffee pot was always on and her old-time stories always entertained her guests from near and far. She was fluent in her Swedish heritage language which she shared by translating correspondence from abroad. Trips to Sweden in 1990, 1994, and 1997 were highlights in her life when she was able to connect with relatives there. More recently RuBelle moved from town to a peaceful spot along the Rainy River where she continued to entertain friends, not only with her bottomless cups of coffee but with visits around a campfire. One was never too late to any of her homes as she was a definite night owl AND her motto was “If I can’t take it with me, I’m not going!”

Graveside Services for RuBelle will be held on Saturday, July 6, 2024, at 1 p.m. at Elm Park Cemetery in Baudette, MN. Immediately following the service everyone is invited to the Brink Center in Baudette for a time of fellowship and a light lunch.