Ruth Ann Clingenpeel

Ruth Ann Clingenpeel of Cambridge City, Indiana, passed away in the early morning hours of May 29, 2025, in the presence of Verne, her beloved companion and husband of nearly 65 years. Her cheeky sense of humor, rebellious spirit and kind heart have had a profound impact on the lives of her family and friends—we will all miss her tremendously and will fondly quote her colorful witticisms for the rest of our lives. She will always be with us.

Born in rural Tipton County, Indiana, on December 31, 1938, Ruth Ann was the eldest of two daughters of Nathan and Pearl Sweet. She graduated in 1956 from Jefferson Township High School in Tipton County and from Indiana Business College in Kokomo in 1958. The latter led to a job as a teller at Kokomo Savings and Loan, which proved fateful: during her time there, she met and fell for Verne, a teller from another local bank. The pair married on October 9, 1960, at the East Union Christian Church in Atlanta, Indiana.

Ruth Ann lived in Kokomo and Amboy, Indiana, with Verne and their two children, Julie and Jeff, throughout the 1960s. In the early 1970s, the family moved to Cambridge City, which Ruth Ann would call home for the next 50 years. A decades-long member of the Cambridge City Christian Church, she was a quiet soul who found solace reading a book with her cats on her lap (and usually a bag on M&Ms at her side) or working outdoors, surrounded by her roses, viburnums, cone flowers, impatiens and lilacs. Ruth Ann also loved traveling the country, especially the Rocky Mountain region, which she expressed in the beautiful photos she took there and in the hilarious travel journals she wrote to amuse herself and her family.

Ruth Ann is survived by her husband, Verne, children Julie (Jim) Halliburton and Jeff (Laura Brubacher) Clingenpeel, grandchildren Ben Clingenpeel and Kai Clingenpeel, sister Mary Adams, stepbrothers Don (Kay) Henry and Vern (Sue) Henry.

She was preceded in death by her father Nathan Sweet, mother Pearl Sweet, stepmother Thelma Sweet and brother-in-law John Adams.

Friends may call from 12 noon until the start of the funeral at 3:00 PM on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 at Waskom Capitol Hill Chapel in Cambridge City, Indiana. Interment will follow at Riverside Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to Help the Animals, Inc., 2101 W. Main St., Richmond, IN 47374

Online condolences may be made at www.waskoms.com

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