Ruth Neva Boyce's Obituary
With sadness, we announce that Lakeview has lost one of her most beloved and accomplished daughters. After 89 exceptional years of life, Ruth Neva Boyce (nee Keilholtz) passed away peacefully at her home overlooking Tamarack Lake during the early morning hours of February 26, 2025. Ruth lived with incomparable strength and grace as a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, cousin, and loyal friend to all who knew her - and she will be profoundly missed.
Ruth was predeceased by her daughter, Anna; husband, Cecil; sisters, Carolyn and Barbara; and grandson, Daniel. She is survived by her daughters, Colleen, Rene, and Kelley, along with her sister, Frances. In addition, she is survived by 11 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
Born on October 1, 1935, Ruth was the second of four daughters gifted to Francis and Goldie Keilholtz. She and her siblings were raised on their idyllic family farm in Sylvester, Michigan. Never one for homemaking with her mother and sisters, Ruth preferred to spend her time tending to the livestock in the barn and fields with her father. The bonds she created with the animals fostered a lifelong passion for nature and the great outdoors - which subsequently instilled a sense of adventure that led Ruth to travel across the globe during her lifetime, from Alaska to Africa. Her favorite places included Arizona, Anchorage (where she ran a full marathon at the age of 64), and Europe - especially her ancestral homeland of Germany. She even visited the Himalayas in 2014 to assist her daughter in establishing a study abroad program in Nepal.
As much as Ruth loved the visceral experience of life, she was also a brilliant woman who enjoyed numerous intellectual pursuits. After graduating Salutatorian of her high school class, she and her close friend, Marilyn Wanink-Anthony, moved to Lansing, Michigan to pursue their degrees from the Sparrow Nursing Program. (Although, as tiny as Ruth always was, she had to secretly put spare change in her pockets and wore impossibly high heels to meet the height and weight requirements for the program at the time.)
Following graduation, she completed her undergraduate studies at Aquinas College, majoring in Psychology. She then acquired her masters degree in Maternal Nursing from Wayne State University, rounding out her educational pursuits and beginning a lifelong commitment to nursing and education.
Throughout her career, Ruth worked as a Registered Nurse Board Instructor and Nursing Instructor at Montcalm Community College and Ferris State University. In addition, she held the position of Director of Nursing at Kelsey Memorial Hospital, where she worked for nearly a decade. Ruth also volunteered in a nursing capacity with the American Red Cross, providing medical assistance at Ground Zero in response to the 9/11 attacks and later in southern Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina.
Ruth was a woman of tremendous Christian faith and an active member of the United Church of Christ in downtown Lakeview. She also served as an integral member of the Lakeview Village Council for many years and, as a seasoned pilot herself, was instrumental in spearheading the Lakeview airport expansion. A true Renaissance woman, Ruth enjoyed camping, hunting, fishing, flying and skiing - among many other pursuits. Most of all, though, Ruth celebrated life by spending time with her adoring family and vast circle of friends.
Ruth had four daughters, affectionately known to all as "The Rose Girls". The five women bonded together throughout their lives and remained close friends as they grew older and had families of their own. In 2011, Ruth found and married her best friend, William "Cecil" Boyce. The couple moved into his home on the lake and lived out their golden years at each other's side, hosting holidays and get-togethers and sponsoring and participating in church activities - in between trips and vacations, of course. Sadly, Cecil passed away in 2022, but Ruth's family takes heart knowing the two are reunited in a better place.
Ruth was a pioneer, a trailblazer - a risk-taker in a conservative era, fearless and brave. Despite her diminutive size, she lived a massive life. She was equal parts career-woman and matriarch, and she lived an inspirational life of faith and love. We will miss her greatly but rest secure in the knowledge that Ruth's spirit lives on in all of us.
We hope you will join her family and friends at the United Church of Christ for her memorial service on Saturday, March 1 at 11am. Immediately following, the family will host a luncheon at Fellowship Hall - all are welcome.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate a donation made in Ruth's name to the American Red Cross or Lakeview United Church of Christ.
What’s your fondest memory of Ruth?
What’s a lesson you learned from Ruth?
Share a story where Ruth's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Ruth you’ll never forget.
How did Ruth make you smile?