Ruth Pauline John Walburn

Ruth Pauline John Walburn

May 23, 1918 - May 8, 2013

CAMBRIDGE, Nebraska -- Ruth Pauline John Walburn died at the Cambridge Manor on May 8, 2013.

Pauline was born in Cambridge on May 23, 1918, to Clinton Walter John and Caroline Louise Thuman. She attended Cambridge schools and graduated high school. She taught elementary school south of McCook for one year. In those days, women could take a class in high school, pass a test and teach school.

After one year, she attended Hastings College for a year and then transferred to the University of Nebraska where she pledged Alpha Xi Delta sorority, following in the footsteps of her Aunt Alice Thuman Chitwood.

She remembers taking a test, which may have been to enter government service, for she was soon offered a job with the Social Security Administration. This was during the Depression so having a job was a strong reason for leaving the university.

She moved to Washington D.C. to start work, find roommates and best of all go to evening dances on a ship cruising the Potomac River. She met the man who was to be her husband Norman at one of the dances. They were married in Cumberland, Maryland on June 16, 1942.

Norman enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1941, served in various locations until completing training as a Judge Advocate General Corps. He later saw service in Korea, Okinawa and the Philippines before completing his service in 1945.

Pauline and their daughter Susan, who was born in 1943, returned to Cambridge to live with her parents, Clinton and Caroline John. When their son John was born in 1944, Norman was on one of the many train transports crossing the country through North Platte to the West Coast. The family tried to get Norman off the train to see his newborn son, but permission was denied. John was 13 months old when he first saw his father.

After working in John Drug Store, which was started by her grandfather, James John, Pauline opened Marline Togs with her sister Marjorie in 1948 in a small space west of the John Drug Store. The banks would not give them a start-up loan but an anonymous donor gave them $1,500 to open the dress shop. The two sisters travelled to Kansas City and St. Louis to buy clothing to open the store. Later, the shop moved to Main Street next to the Post Office. It closed after nearly 50 years.

Like her father, Clinton, Pauline was active in Cambridge, serving as President of school board and PTA. She was a member of PEO and the Congregational Church, where she sang in the choir and often served as the organist for Sunday services. She loved playing bridge and entertained her children playing favorite piano selections.

She is the fourth generation descendant of William Oliver John and his wife, Elizabeth who moved to Cambridge from Mankato, Kansas, in 1880. In the spring of 1880, William and his son James decided to take a look at some new towns springing up along the tracks of the B and M Railroad in southwest Nebraska. They rode the train to the end of the line at Arapahoe and with a hand car, they pumped the last 12 miles to Cambridge. Later, William moved his family, including his son James and his wife Karen Aaboe. James opened the Rexall drug store and later his son, Clinton joined him as a pharmacist.

Pauline was preceded in death by her husband, Norman, father, Clinton, mother, Caroline, half-sister, Eva John Faulkner, her brother-in-law, George Faulkner and nephew, Richard Faulkner.

She is survived by her daughter, Susan and son, John and his wife, Kathy, as well as six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren: Sam Crosson (Courtney), daughters, Makenna, Logan, Caroline Walburn Swartz (Tom) daughters, Eloise, Cecilia, Anna Walburn (Ryan Carroll) Molly Horton Cheek (Matt) John Wilson, Charlie, Megan Horton (Blue Bayer) Hazel, Willa and, Mark Horton.

No funeral or memorial will be held. The family requests donations to the Norman and Pauline Scholarship at the Cambridge High School, the Cambridge Park Foundation or AseraCare Hospice at 4111 4th Avenue, Kearney NE 68845.