Neoma Marie Anderson was born at Decorah, Iowa on July 24, 1927. She was the youngest of six children that were born to Theodore and Clara Helgeson Anderson. Her grandparents immigrated from Norway and when the story about the settlement of Iowa was aired on television during the Bicentennial, they were featured on the film. Neoma received her grade school education at the Winneshiek Country Grade School and graduated from Decorah High School. Neoma attended Luther College to obtain enough credits to teach school. She taught in a one-room country school near Highlandville, Iowa for four years. Neoma was introduced to Norman Sylvester Ruffridge, a Pearl Harbor survivor who had just been discharged from the United States Navy, by his brother, Orville Ruffridge. Neoma and Norman were united in marriage on May 30, 1948, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. To this union two children were born: Rhonda Louise and Rodney Lee. Following their marriage Norm began managing the Veterans of Foreign Wars Club in Decorah. In 1952 they moved to Moline, Illinois where he was employed at the arsenal and later for Illinois Gas and Electric and Neoma worked in the office of Deere and Company. They returned to Decorah in 1959 where Norm did construction work with Neoma's brother, Gerhard Anderson. Neoma and Norm then ventured to Pella, Iowa and purchased an A & W franchise. Neoma and Norm built their restaurant in 1961 and continued to own and operate the A & W Family Restaurant in Pella until 1997. During this time, Neoma and Norm spent the winters in Arizona and would always return in the spring, ready to serve some good home-cooked meals. Neoma and Norm enjoyed traveling together and were privileged to travel to England, Spain (three times), Hawaii and Rio De Janiero. Their last trip to Arizona together was in 1999. Upon their return Norm was admitted to the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Knoxville, Iowa where he passed away on September 22, 2002 at the age of 83 years. Neoma enjoyed playing bridge and was a member of the Pella Golf & Country Club. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary and had been a member of the Iowa A & W Association. She was baptized as an infant at the Burr Oak Lutheran Church and made profession of her faith at the Ridgeway Lutheran Church as a teenager. At the time of her death she was a member of the Peace Lutheran Church in Pella, Iowa. On Wednesday, December 9, 2009, she passed away the Hospice of Pella Comfort House in Pella at the age of 82 years. Neoma is survived by her two children: Rhonda and her husband, Jaime Perez of Dover, Pennsylvania and Rodney Ruffridge of Otley, Iowa. Neoma was the last surviving member of her original family. She leaves a brother-in-law, Jerome Soukup of Moline, Illinois; two sisters-in-law, Fern (Ruffridge) Dungey of New Hampton, Iowa and Virginia (Ruffridge) Nelson of Portage, Wisconsin, and a brother-in-law, Palmer Ruffridge of Decorah. Neoma was preceded in death by her husband, Norman; her parents, Theodore and Clara Anderson; her parents-in-law, Frank and Cora Barth Ruffridge; and all brothers and sisters: Gerhard Anderson, Joseph Anderson, June (Jacob) Gallagher, Beatrice (Wallace) Halse and Ceceil Soukup.


Memorials may be given for the Peace Lutheran Church in Pella.

Van Dyk-Duven Funeral Home