Ruth Ann Zwart

   Ruth Ann (Sinkey) Zwart, devoted wife of 56 years, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend to many, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, went home to be with Jesus “in the blink of an eye” Wednesday morning, December 30, 2020.  She was 75.

   A Celebration of Life service will take place on Tuesday, January 5, 2021, at 10:30am, at the Hawarden Christian Reformed Church in Hawarden, Iowa.  A public committal service and private family gathering will follow.  Public viewing, with no family present, will begin at 2:00pm Monday at the church. The community may greet the family on Monday, January 4, 2020, from 5:00-7:00pm at the church.  With pandemic health protocols in mind, attendance at one or both gatherings will be at one’s own discretion, to be exercised with care, grace, and sensitivity for others.

   Ruth was born on August 21, 1945, to Frank and Clara (Schaap) Sinkey of rural Ireton, Iowa, the 3rd of four children.  She grew up on the farm and attended Western Christian High School.  Soon after, she married the love of her life, Ron Zwart, on January 1, 1965, immediately following the New Year’s Day church service.  They settled on the farm where they lived to this day.  You could never pull those two apart.  They lived and served side-by-side all the days of their lives together. She was a faithful member of the Hawarden Christian Reformed Church, serving as bulletin/church secretary for nearly 30 years, leading ladies Bible studies, and always offering hospitality to families of the church and community, especially those who were new to the area.  She and Ron loved volunteering in their later years for the Hawarden Food Pantry.

   Ron and she loved to camp, often at Okoboji, but even just around the corner from the farm in Oak Grove.  Ruth loved to read books, fix puzzles, knitted and crocheted, and even took up painting in her later years. 

   But most importantly, she loved Jesus above all and loved deeply her husband, her children, and their families.  She loved to laugh, jest, bake, or just hang out with her grandkids and great grandkids.  Despite not being tech savvy, she loved watching her grandchildren online with all their school and church activities.

   She may have aged but chose to live young.

   Wednesday morning, December 30, while getting ready for the day alongside Ron, she suddenly took her last breath, and her tired earthly tent laid down one last time.  She will be forever missed in the hearts and lives of the countless people she touched in her brief 75 years.

   She is survived by her loving husband, Ron, and her four children: Joan (and Dennis) Hoogendoorn of Lester, IA.; Steve (and Angela) Zwart of Prinsburg, MN.; Glen (and Brenda) Zwart of Ireton, IA.; Tricia (and Rylan) Van Zee of Sioux Falls, SD.  She was blessed with 28 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren.  She is survived by her beloved siblings: Mert Smits, Vernon (& Trudy) Sinkey, Roger (Glenda) Sinkey.  She is also survived by many extended family members whom she loved dearly.

   She was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Clara; her in-laws Edward & Minnie Zwart, her brother-in-law Clyde Smits; grandson Timothy Zwart, grandson Alex Zwart, brother-in-law Delbert Zwart.