Ruth's parents were Chester J. and Hallie Bonita Norris Pierce. They were married October 11, 1929.

From the Faribault Daily News, Nov. 25, 1999:

Ruth Finnesgard, 88, of Kenyon, died Wednesday, Nov. 24, 1999, in the Kenyon Sunset Home. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Gol Lutheran Church, rural Kenyon, with the Rev. John Heille officiating. Burial will be at Gol Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation is scheduled for 4-8 p.m. Saturday at the Hanson Funeral Home, Kenyon, and at the church Sunday for one hour prior to the service. Ruth Zora Pierce, the daughter of Chester J. and Hallie Bonita Norris Pierce, was born Sept. 28, 1911, at home in Oak Grove Township, Anoka County. She was baptized April 20, 1924, at Prairieville Church, Rice County. At the age of 11, she moved to rural Kenyon to live with Andrew and Lydia Story. She married Joseph M. Finnesgard on Oct. 11, 1929, in Minneapolis. They farmed in rural Kenyon for many years. She was a homemaker and also worked at the Kenyon Sunset Home for several years. She also raised and sold dogs, having as many as 32 at one time. She moved to the Kenyon Sunset Home in 1990. She is survived by her nine children, Joseph (and Beverly) Finnesgard of Rochester, Merlin (and Maxine) Finnesgard of Kenyon, Donald (and Margene) Finnesgard of Morristown, Paul (and Helen) Finnesgard of Coon Rapids, Joan (and Obert) Musgjerd of Kenyon, Sharon (and Robert) Kucera of Faribault, Mark Finnesgard of Eden Prairie, Brian (and Nancy) Finnesgard of Zumbrota and Bruce (and Susan) Finnesgard of Zumbrota; 31 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Joseph in 1987; a grandson, Jason Musgjerd in 1992; and seven brothers and sisters.