Lt. Hinemoa E. Seifert

Hinemoa “Jo” Ruskin
November 2, 1920 ~ October 25, 2014
SCOTTS VALLEY, CA
Hinemoa “Jo” Eleanor Ruskin (Cloninger), 93, passed away on Oct. 25, 2014 at Oak Tree Villa in Scotts Valley, CA. She is survived by her children: Steve Ruskin, Elizabeth R. Shanklin, Bill Ruskin, her daughters in law Debbie Ruskin and Kim Rowley Ruskin, 5 grandchildren, Cuyler and Dylan Ruskin and Serenity, Scott and Suzanne Shanklin. Jo grew up near Nyssa, Oregon, where her parents maintained a homestead. She loved to dance, trained as a professional dancer and also trained for the Olympic trials in diving after high school. She graduated from nursing school in Oregon as a Registered Nurse. Hinemoa, known to her friends as “Jo” was a veteran of WWII, having served as a nurse (lieutenant) in the Army Medical Corps at the 106th Evacuation Hospital in France, assigned to the First Army during the invasion at Utah Beach. It was during this assignment that she met and married Murray Ruskin, making their first home after the war near Levittown, Long Island, moving to Chicago in 1956. She was active in musical theatre, tennis and 4H as well as working in various capacities as a registered nurse. Murray died in 1996. Jo continued playing competitive tennis in the seniors league until suffering a stroke in 2003. She subsequently moved to Calif. in 2005, living independently until recently. Those who wish to remember Jo may donate in her memory to Hospice of Santa Cruz County or Paralyzed Veterans of America, 3801 Mirand Ave., Suite 816, Palo Alto, CA 94304.