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Woman's hobby brings comfort to children
Saturday, November 07, 2009
By Jane Elling Staff Writer
SHILOH - Ruth Oyler lives with her daughter Doris Iraca in a lovely home in the Woodland-Shiloh area where displays of their hobbies can be seen in every room.
Although there are various full-size quilts on display, a favorite item Oyler makes to donate to Life Line are small quilts that are used as security blankets and given to children by emergency services personnel, ambulance staff, fire company workers and state police troopers at wrecks and fires or wherever there is a need.
Oyler said she is working on her second thousand in the 36-by-48-inch size and has a good start on the third thousand of the 48-by-48-inch size.
Donna English, director of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program at the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging Inc., said she is astounded at what Oyler does and named some of the work including the quilts she makes for Life Line and writing letters as a pen pal to residents in nursing homes. "The staff is just amazed when she brings in the blankets. We're proud of Ruth and what she does," she said.
In May, when the RSVP volunteers were honored, Oyler was named as one of two Volunteers of the Year for her work of always helping someone.
Six years before, the Clearfield County Volunteer Network wanted a project for Make A Difference Day that would help children. They were asking that "blinkies" be made to give to children in crisis.
At the banquet in 2009 it was stated she had delivered 1,997 quilts and it was said "each one is unique, bright and warm."
At her home there are more ready to be delivered. She uses cotton material, flannelette and fleece to make them, and it was noted if anybody has any batting to donate, any size, but preferably the 48-inch with 10 yards on a roll, they can call her at 857-7460.
Oyler was born Sept. 2, 1914, at Cutler, a mining town in Southern Illinois, the daughter of a farmer. She attended a one-room country school for eight years, took her eighth grade exam and passed. Then it was on to high school, but since the Sparta, Ill., High School wasn't near enough to walk to, she and her cousin and sometimes another girl rented an apartment for the four years. Her father took her in for each week's classes along with food to prepare. Each week he handed her a dollar bill "for extras."
She went to Carbondale Teachers College, now southern Illinois University, for two years before she began teaching in 1934-35 and 1935-36 in one-room schools. She especially remembers one family of four, Billy and his three sisters. She asked Billy what he wanted to do in the future and his answer was "to be a pilot." This was strange because rarely did an airplane fly over the area. But his dream came true and he was a pilot in World War II. He has kept in touch to bring her up to date on what he is doing.
She remembers teaching at a one-room country school where it was too far to walk from home so she took her lunch and her father drove her to the classroom. She was paid $55 per month. She had nine or 10 students the first year and four of them were black. One of the boys, when he was able to be in school, was very helpful and would carry in the two coal buckets for use in the stove to keep the building warm.
She had attended summer school and then Oyler took off one year to complete her schooling and get her degree.
Her husband was a "missionary kid," the son of Presbyterian missionaries who served in Doleib Hill in the Sudan on the White Nile River. He was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and came to the United States when he was ready to attend high school.
When his parents served as her parents' pastor, David Oyler and Ruth met when they visited their parents and went to church. They were married Aug. 17, 1939. David Oyler went to seminary and served as a pastor in northern Illinois. During the war years, they were in Philadelphia and various areas of Pennsylvania since 1941. After retiring, he did fill-in work. He died in 1985.
Ruth Oyler taught second-grade students for 20 years in the Freeport-Sheakleyville schools.
They had seven children, Martha Bloom, Doris Iraca, Marilyn Snyder, Donna George, Linda Martin, David Oyler and Fred Oyler. There are 21 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
There are many tasks that keep Oyler busy today. She makes regular size quilts and she crochets, and a big part of her life is writing using the notes she has kept throughout her life. She did her first book the Christmas after her husband died. Iraca showed the books of family stories made for her and the other children.
Oyler said she wants to do a story of her life and will call it "Joy." She said, "A joy that is shared is a joy made double."
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