Ruth Bakken Gerke Obituary
We are sad to announce that, on February 6, 2026, Ruth Bakken Gerke (Cross Plains, Wisconsin) passed away. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family.
As we bid Ruth farewell, let us not mourn the absence of her physical form, but rather celebrate the essence of her spirit that lingers in the spaces between moments. For Ruth is not truly gone, but merely transformed, her energy intertwined with the fabric of the universe itself, forever dancing among the stars.
She was predeceased by: her parents, Irvin Bakken and Esther Bakken (Nygaard); her brother Milton Bakken; her father-in-law Franklin Gerke; her brother-in-law Melvin Saari; Virginia.
She is survived by: her husband Greg Gerke; her siblings, Roger Bakken (Betty) and Sharon Saari; her siblings-in-law, Mary Ellen Bakken, Steve Gerke (Jeanette) and Jonathan Gerke; and her stepmother-in-law Linda Gerke. She is also survived by nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews and many friends.
