Ruth I Cloninger

Ruth Irene Cloninger

“The Boss”

Ruth (Blankenship) Cloninger was born September 20th, 1930, in a house at Happy Hollow just south of Grangeville. She grew up there, the middle of 5 children. She attended school 1st through 8th grade at Mountain View, in a one room schoolhouse in Happy Hallow. She attended Grangeville High school for one year before moving to Walla Walla at the age of 15 and working in the cannery for a couple of years. She then moved back to Lewiston, where she worked at M&K groceries for about 5 years. In 1952 she moved to Monterey, California. She started working at Safeway as a checker where she met the butcher, Harold Cloninger. In 1954 Ruth brought Harold back home to Idaho to visit. Harold loved it so much he quit his job and they moved to Idaho for good. They made their home in Grangeville, and both worked for John Asker. Later they worked at Martins Foodland. They started their family in 1956 with the birth of their son Jerry, followed by a daughter, Linda in 1959, and another son, Sam in 1962. In 1967 they bought Eller’s Economy Grocery from Vern Eller. It was located across from the post office in Kamiah. They finally built a new store in 1972 at the end of main street in Kamiah (Freedom Northwest Credit Union now). They sold the business in 1975 to Jim Schmidt and proceeded to then buy the old city market building across from the police station and started the laundromat. In the back room, they would process wild game for 3 Falls. Ruth also did books at Scott paper and filled in at Jim’s market when needed. In 1981 Ruth and Harold bought the grocery store back from Schmidt’s and ran it in that location for 17 years. In 1998 they built the new store where it stands today in Kamiah. Ruth worked a total of 67 years in retail and finally retired at the age of 82. In those 67 years she taught her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren what hard work ethic really looks like.  

Ruth loved life.  She spent a lot of time in the woods, camping, fishing, and mining. Ruth and Harold had a mining claim in Florence complete with mining shaft in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The family spent a lot of weekends mining for gold during the summers. Ruthie also loved exploring old mine dumpsites and collecting old bottles and treasures. In her later years she loved packing into hunting camp to help cook and camp in the backcountry with friends.

Ruth loved to garden and kept a beautiful home. Her yard and house were always perfectly manicured and decorated Immaculately. Christmas was always her favorite. She always gave Santa a run for his money.   She always had her house and the store decorated for holidays.  Ruth was famous for her potato salad, and it was always requested at every social gathering, work or home.  

She also loved to paint. Bob Ross was her favorite. As she painted alongside him, she always said she wasn’t very good at it but she liked it so she didn’t care.

She loved the water. She bought a pontoon boat in the 1980’s to take friends and grandkids out to Dworshak lake. Ruth loved whitewater rafting and jet boating. She even put in a swimming pool at her house. She said it was so her grandkids would always be there, she was right. What most people didn’t know was Ruth couldn’t even swim. She never let fear keep her from living the life she wanted.

Ruthie loved to travel with friends and family. She went on Caribbean cruises, trips to Mexico, Venezuela, and even China. She loved bowling and was very competitive. Her and her girlfriends’ traveled all the way to Reno, and South Dakota for National bowling tournaments.

She was a long-time member and volunteer for the VFW Ladies auxiliary and the Kamiah Chamber of Commerce. Helping serve and organize BBQ days for years.

Ruth independently lived in a house she had built down by the river on rock road until she was 90 years old.  In 2020 she suffered a stroke. She then moved to the life center in Lewiston until her death on April 22, 2024.

Ruth is preceded in death by her parents Lenard and Della Blankenship, her Husband Harold Cloninger, sister Alta Pollen, and three brothers Jerry, Richard, and Gail Blankenship, and Granddaughter Kelsey Jo Cloninger. Ruth is survived by her children Jerry (Betty) Cloninger, Linda(Ron) Parmenter, Sam(Sandy) Cloninger, 8 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren, and 10 great great grandchildren. The latest born, Ruth’s namesake.

She lived a full life, was loved by many, and will be missed!

A funeral service will be held Friday, May 3, 2024 at 2:00 pm at the Kamiah Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Interment will follow at Kamiah Cemetery. A meal will follow the interment back at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of the Blackmer Funeral Home, Grangeville. Send condolences to the family to blackmerfuneralhome.com.

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