Ruth Burdick Stackhouse

Ruth Burdick Stackhouse, age 96, of Wakeman, OH, passed away on January 16, 2026, at the Ames Family Hospice House in Westlake, OH. Ruth was beloved by her family and community for her generous, caring spirit and work ethic.

Born on January 30, 1929, in Abington, PA, to Ava Gardner Burdick and Gleason A. Burdick, Ruth grew up on dairy farms in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Ruth was valedictorian of her Strongsville High School class in Strongsville, OH, and graduated from Denison University majoring in education. She taught high school English in Bucks County, PA, before marrying John M. Stackhouse in 1954 and moving to The Humphrey Farm in Wakeman.

Ruth had many responsibilities on the farm, as well as raising daughters Susan and Sharon. She was active in the Wakeman Congregational Church, the Norwalk Research Club, the Wakeman Reading Circle, and Caring Community. Ruth devoted countless hours to the growth of the Wakeman Library through the Friends of the Library and served on the Willard Library board and the Ohio Library Trustee Association Board. Her sweet rolls were legendary at the library bake sales.

Ruth was active in the Huron County Republican Party for decades. She served eight years on the Ohio Expositions Commission, where she provided steady leadership during periods of financial difficulty and public controversy. She was honored as the 1996 Ohio Agricultural Woman of the Year and inducted into the Ohio State Fair Hall of Fame in 2002.

Ruth’s greatest joy was her family. She is survived by her daughters Susan (Peter) Hazel and Sharon (Jack) Minot; grandchildren Jessica (JL) Draganic, Erin (David) Lewis, Jason (Maggie) Hazel, Jonah (Gina) Minot and Sarah (Sadaf) Asrar; great-grandchildren Amelia and John Draganic, Emma and Eleanor Lewis, Poppy Hazel, Ruth and Kathryn Minot, and Rafi Asrar. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, John, her brothers, James Burdick and Gleason Burdick, and her sister, Helen Sloat.

The family has deep appreciation for Ruth’s home health caregivers, Kendal at Oberlin, and the Hospice of Western Reserve for their care and consideration.

Calling hours will be Saturday, January 24, from 10:30 a.m. until noon, at the Wakeman Congregational Church, 14 Abbott St., Wakeman, OH 44889, followed by the celebration of life and a luncheon in the fellowship hall.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Wakeman Congregational Church, 14 Abbott St., Wakeman, OH 44889 or Wakeman Caring Community P.O. Box 321 Wakeman, OH 44889. Online expressions of sympathy may be made by visiting: www.walkereastmanheydingerfh.com