14 Jan 2004 - MILTON, Ind. -- Ruth Ferris Hackleman, age 84, formerly of Milton, Ind., died Monday, Jan. 12, 2004, at Friends Fellowship Community in Richmond, Ind. She was born on March 10, 1919, at Forest Home Farm in Milton, Ind., to Paul and Hazel Wagner Ferris. She grew up in the Bentonville community and graduated from Bentonville High School and attended Butler University for two years. After graduation she taught school in a rural elementary school and then in Connersville, Ind. She married John L. Hackleman, her high school sweetheart, Dec. 22, 1941, during a brief leave from his military training. He deployed to the Pacific Theater in mid-1942, leaving her living at her parents' home and teaching school for the next 30 months. Upon his return from World War II in 1945, they decided to stay on as an active-duty military family. She had the challenges of holding a family together while living in Alabama, Louisiana, Connecticut, Indiana, Florida and Bermuda. In July 1961, her family returned to the Bentonville community and her husband farmed for several years. She lived near Manlove Park until her health declined and she moved to Friends Fellowship Community in July 2000. She was a member of Milton Christian Church in Milton, Ind. When able, Ruth was active in the Cary Club, Retired Teachers Association and Indiana Vocational and Technical College.
Survivors are her son, Ferris Jay (wife Virginia Thomas) Hackleman of Medlothian, Va.; grandchildren, Jeffrey Scot (wife Tricia Jones) Hackleman and Wendy Hackleman (husband Tommy) Leonard; and her great-granddaughter, Claire Elizabeth Hackleman. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lt. Col. John L. Hackleman; her parents; and a sister, Barbara Ferris Varnell. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 16, 2004, at Waskom Capitol Hill Chapel in Cambridge City, Ind., with Rev. John "Woody" Woodford officiating. Burial will follow in Westside Cemetery in Milton, Ind. Friends may call at the funeral home from 4 until 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004. Memorial contributions may be made to Milton Christian Church at 307 S. Central in Milton, IN 47357.
