Ruth Earlene Gessner

Funeral services for Ruth Gessner were held at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at Mills Community Church in Mills, NE, with Pastor Kenley Udd officiating. Music was congregational hymns accompanied by Steve Swanson on piano. Mary Swanson and Crystal Cook were in charge of registrations, and Julie Udd and Sierra Udd were flower attendants. Casket bearers were John Beck, Ben Wenger, Jeff Cook, Brandon Udd, Drayton Cronk, and Brent Rowan. Ruth’s friends and family were honorary casket bearers. Interment was at Olive Branch Cemetery in Mills, NE. Kotrba-Smith Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Ruth Earlene Gessner was born on July 12, 1933, to Earl and Bertha (Hollenbeck) Sylvester in Springview, NE. Ruth joined big brother William Hugh. The family moved to Mills when she was two years old, living in the lower part of the hotel and later in a house north of the hotel. When Ruth was five her parents moved into a two-room house which later had many additions and eventually became what is now Mills Community Hall (Sylvester Hall). Ruth attended grade school at District 3 and graduated from Keya Paha County High School in 1951. She then attended Norfolk Business College for a few months before returning home to help at the Mills store with groceries, gas, the creamery, and post office.

Ruth married Frank Orris Gessner of Bassett, NE, on June 30, 1952, in Pierre, SD, when he was home on leave from the Marines. Ruth and Frank moved to California for a time before he spent his year in Korea. Their daughter Mary was born in May of 1953. The family moved around to wherever Frank’s masonry work took them. They finally settled in Mills as Mary started school. Ruth again worked at the store and filled in for her mother as postmaster relief while working on an electronics correspondence course. She worked at Lloyd’s Radio and TV in Gregory through the years, even working on some TVs in the Mills area. She also served on the Mills Cemetery Board for 23 years and was known as the “cactus getter”.

Ruth naturally was her mother’s replacement as postmaster for Mills when Bertha retired. She ran the store and post office for 23 years and retired on June 30, 2003. The store and post office were closed at that time. Many changes came while she was in charge of the store, and she took them in stride. If you spent any time at the store, you were probably invited to church and witnessed the love that she had for the God that she depended on.

Ruth was always there to help a neighbor clean, paint, or maybe with a haircut or perm. Ruth accepted Jesus as her Savior at Camp Witness in 1947 where she was later baptized in Pine Creek. Ruth rededicated her life to Jesus as her Lord and Savior in 1955 under the ministry of Beulah (Minnig) McKenney. She served on the board of Child Evangelism Fellowship Cherry County Chapter and Mills Missionary Circle, but her love was making sure that the children of the area would know about Jesus. She helped by teaching Vacation Bible School at Mills Community Church and Good News Clubs.

Ruth passed away on November 27, 2025, at Avera Rosebud Country Care Center in Gregory at the age of 92.

She is survived by her brothers William Sylvester of Oklahoma City, OK, and Eldon (Eileen) Sylvester of Ainsworth, NE; two grandchildren: Richard (Tina) Hoffmann of Burke, SD, and Angela Hoffmann of Mills, NE; six great-grandchildren; nine great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

She is preceded in death by a baby sister, her parents, husband Frank, daughter Mary Louise, grandson Gregory, and sister-in-law Mildred Sylvester.