Edward and Ruth (HAKES) STEVENS

This post is on my maternal grandparents.

I believe this was taken sometime in the 1980s

Edward Charles "Ed" STEVENS was born 4 Sep 1929 in St. Charles, Winona county, Minnesota to Charles and Alma (WISKOW) STEVENS. Ed was the oldest of 8 children. As of this post, all 7 of his younger siblings are still alive. I don't remember him very well, but he made various things out of wood. At least 1 bunk bed, a lamp/plant stand, and a recipe book holder. I'm sure there's many more that I'm not aware of .

Ruth Elizabeth HAKES was born 6 Apr 1932 in Preson Lake township, Renville county, Minnesota to Leonard and Anna (PAGEL) HAKES. She was the 2nd of 3 children. For hobbies she made various crafts including those necklaces made out of paper beads, plastic canvas items, & crocheted items. After grandpa died (Ed) she made sure that all her kids, grandkids, and other relatives received an ornament in his memory every year until she died. Most years she made them, others she bought something simple that was personalized. They always had a small paper tag that  stated that the ornament was in his memory and the year.

Ruth's birth certificate

Ed and Ruth were married 8 Dec 1956 in Buffalo Lake, Renville county, Minnesota. They ended up settling in St. Charles where they raised their 3 children: Beverly "Bev", Craig, and Wayne. Ed died 8 Jan 1989 of acute pulmonary edema due to ischemic heart disease (a heart attack I believe in layman's terms). He was pronounced dead at the ER at St. Mary's hospital in Rochester, Olmsted county, Minnesota. Ruth died 16 Jun 1998 at her home in St. Charles, Winona county, Minnesota of acute thromboembolism to the heart (blood clot to the heart I was told).

Ed's death certificate

Ruth's death certificate

Both of their obits were posted in the Post Bulletin (Rochester, Minnesota). Ed's on 2 Jan 1989 and Ruth's on 19 Jun 1998. They also both have memorials on findagrave (Ed and Ruth).

Seeing as they were married after 1940 I do not have them on any censuses as a married couple. Thus the censuses I do have with them will be on the future posts of their parents.

I do, however, have PDFs of both of their obits for anybody who would want them.

Line of descent
Ed & Ruth (HAKES) STEVEN
--> Beverly LOVEN
----> Me (Martha)