Ruth Audra Thiessen

Ruth Audra (Blake) Thiessen, beloved Wife, Mother and Grandmother passed away at home June 29, 2020. Ruth was born November 25, 1928 in Calvin, Oklahoma to Bowie Jackson Blake and Stella Parthenia (Owen) Blake.
Ruth was raised in Hinton, Oklahoma with her older sister Chloe. She grew up on a farm milking cows and eating all the fruit in the orchard. She started school in a one room schoolhouse at age four, because the teacher liked her, then transferred to Hinton public schools in fourth grade. She loved school. She played clarinet in the band and especially loved math. When she was old enough, she started working in the Hinton grocery store but was so small she had to stand on a box. After graduating from Hinton, she attended Oklahoma A & M for one year. When she came back to Hinton, she started her lifelong journey with restaurants when her father bought her first restaurant, “Ruth’s Café.” Ruth’s Café is where she met her future husband, Bud. As the story goes, when she messed up his order by putting mustard on his burger instead of mayonnaise, he said he would eat it if she went on a date with him. She agreed and the rest is history.
On August 29, 1948 Ruth married Alvin Bernard “Bud” Thiessen in Hinton, Oklahoma. Their daughter Audra was born a year later. Son Danny came along three years later and Tim completed their family five years after that. The family happily settled into life in Hinton.

From 1959-1966 Bud and Ruth owned and operated Thiessens Drive-N working side by side serving hamburgers, cokes and homemade pie to every teenager in and around Hinton. In 1966 the Thiessen family moved to Norman where Bud and Ruth built homes and trimmed houses for the next 50+ years. Ruth had several jobs when they moved to Norman. Along with raising their kids, she helped Bud finish houses by installing hardware and hanging wallpaper, she sold real estate, worked at Arland’s and JC Penney downtown and cleaned up after everybody else. In the 1980’s, Bud and Ruth moved back to Hinton for a few years. They restored their house on Main Street, ran the concession stand at Red Rock Canyon, and started making and selling bird houses and other crafts a craft shows. Even in retirement they worked. They moved back to Norman in 2004 to be closer to their kids, grandkids and great grandkids.
Ruth was a member of Christ Church of Norman at the time of her death. She and Bud also attended First Christian Church in Hinton and University Christian Church in Norman, both of which Bud and Ruth helped to build. She served in church wherever she could. She was a woman who centered her life on God and family. Faith was always her foundation.
Anyone who knew Ruth knows she liked things clean, but hated housework and hated to sit still. She loved cooking and decorating houses. She also loved playing Bridge, Dominos, Rook, Skip-Bo and even Pretty, Pretty, Princess with her grandkids. Ruth loved Bud, her kids, grandkids and great grandkids. Although her family will always miss her, we all feel so blessed to have been a part of her life.
Survivors include her children, daughter Audra Thiessen Overstreet, son Danny Thiessen and wife Gloria, and son Tim Thiessen and wife Jona, all of Norman; Grandchildren Michelle Landolt and husband Steve, Ann Dee Overstreet, Sara Ritchie and husband Jonathan, Bradley Thiessen and wife Amy, Amber McKinzie and husband Carson, Allie Tsotigh and husband Craig, Jessica Farris and husband Will, Madison Thiessen, and Chelsea Thiessen and fiancé Cameron Blakely; Great-grandchildren Victoria, Jackson, Owen, Alex and Caroline Ritchie, Tylor and Morgan Thiessen, Mykala, Hannah, and Samantha McKinzie, Max and Roxie Tsotigh, and Liam Farris. Great nieces and nephew Christina (Schramek) Frausto and husband David, Sabrina (Morrow) Brown and husband Kyle, Blake Morrow and wife Allyse, and great-great nephews and niece Ethan and Easton Frausto, and Noah, Zayden, and Remi Ruth Brown.
Ruth was preceded in death by her husband; parents; Sister Chloe; Nephews Larry and Gary Schramek and Niece Melanie (Kennedy) Morrow.
In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be made to the American Cancer Society.