Ruben L. Ernst

Obituary

Ruben Louis Ernst was born on the family farm in rural Glencoe, Minnesota, on November 3, 1924. He was the son of Louis and Marie (Machemehl) Ernst. Ruben had three siblings: Marvin, Vernon, and Lillian. Ruben was baptized as an infant and later confirmed in his faith as a youth at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Lester Prairie, Minnesota. He received his education in Glencoe and graduated with the Glencoe High School class of 1942.

Ruben was a lifelong farmer who was born and raised on the family farm. He eventually took over the dairy farm business that his father had started. The farm consisted of 120 acres and included a cow pasture, barn, granary, and chicken barn. Ruben cared for 30 milking cows along with the young livestock, managing the daily responsibilities of both dairy and crop farming. He worked as a dairy and crop farmer for about 64 years before retiring in 1986.

On June 2, 1946, Ruben was united in marriage to Bernice Seemann at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Lester Prairie, Minnesota. The couple was blessed with five children: Roger, Linda, Ron, Karla, and Lisa. Ruben and Bernice were dedicated to raising their children in the Christian faith, and Ruben worked hard to give all of them a college education. Shortly after they sold the farm and moved to Glencoe, Bernice passed away on July 18, 2002. The couple shared over 56 years of marriage.

In spite of all the hard work on the farm, Ruben always seemed to make time for play. Ruben enjoyed all things baseball – everything from town ball games to the Minnesota Twins games. In his younger days, he enjoyed fishing on all the local lakes. Ruben also enjoyed watching the RFD channel and cooking.  

On January 15, 2005, Ruben was united in marriage to Virginia (Kerkow) Dammann at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Hamburg, Minnesota. The couple enjoyed traveling, playing cards, and socializing with friends and family. The couple shared over 21 years of marriage.

Ruben entered his eternal rest on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at his home at Grand Meadows Senior Living in Glencoe, Minnesota, at the age of 101 years, 4 months, and 11 days. Blessed be his memory.

Ruben is survived by his wife, Virginia Dammann; children, Roger Ernst (Frank), Linda White, Ron Ernst (Sue), Karla Hartmann (Mark), and Lisa Curtin (John). He also leaves behind grandchildren, Sara Ernst, Jennifer Ernst, Aaron Ernst, Phil White (Melissa), Melissa O’Neil (Ryan), Ann Oelschlager (Tim), Kelly Cooney (Brian), Kristen Hartmann (Jonathan), and Neil Curtin. He also leaves behind great-grandchildren, Alexis Moran and Kya, Abigail Trnka and Malachi and Liliana, Malcolm Ernst, Kameron Oelschlager, Kaiden Oelschlager, Lenora White, Cameron O’Neil, Hazel O’Neil, Connor Cooney, and Hudson Cooney.

Late in life, Ruben was blessed with another family through his marriage to Virginia. Virginia’s family welcomed Ruben and he considered her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren as his own.

Ruben was preceded in death by his first wife, Bernice Ernst; father and mother, Louis and Marie Ernst; brothers, Marvin Ernst (Erna), Vernon Ernst (Vera); sister, Lillian Eggers (William); and son-in-law, Mike White.