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Dr. Ruth Elaine Tomes
1933 - 2026
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BORN
1933
DIED
2026
About
University of NebraskaProfessors & Academics
FUNERAL HOME
3600 O St
Lincoln, Nebraska
UPCOMING SERVICE
Memorial Service
Nov. 14, 2026
1:00 p.m.
Wyuka Funeral Home
Ruth Tomes Obituary
Dr. Ruth Elaine (Walter) Tomes
November 1, 1933 - October 15, 2026
Ruth Elaine (Walter) Tomes was born on November 1, 1933, on her family's dairy farm near Osakis, Minnesota, the third of fourteen children born to Kenneth and Mildred Walter. She passed away peacefully at her apartment in Omaha, Nebraska, on October 15, 2026, at the age of 92.
Ruth began her teaching career in rural South Dakota, where she met Ed Tomes, who would become her husband. Throughout their life together, Ruth raised their three children, cared for Ed through his medical challenges, and pursued her career and education with remarkable tenacity.
Ruth earned her bachelor's, master's degrees, and her Ph.D. in developmental child psychology from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. As a professor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Oklahoma State University, she taught and supervised teachers and contributed to the field through her research and publications, retiring as Professor Emeritus in 2007.
A fierce advocate and lover of the arts, she was a singer, pianist, and ballroom dancer, docent at the Philbrook Museum of Art, President of the Cotillion Dance Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and regularly attended and sponsored the theatre and symphony. She enjoyed educational travel, backpacking in the U.S. and Canada, quality literature, and lively book club discussions. She delighted in a good game of Scrabble, testing her knowledge with Jeopardy!, and discovering new ideas and recipes through cooking shows.
Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, Ed; her parents, Kenneth and Mildred Walter; her sisters, Dorothy, Grace, and Marjorie; and her brothers, George, Dan, Les, and Roger.
She will be lovingly remembered and deeply missed by her children, Rawley (Jan) Tomes, Patty (Dan) Elsasser, and Todd Tomes; her eight grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren; her sisters, Leona Stratton and Eunice (Gary) Pederson; and her brothers, Charles (Mary Ann), Ivan, Clint (Debbie), and Fred (Debbie); along with extended family and friends.
Ruth's memorial service will be at 1 p.m., Saturday, November 14, at Wyuka Funeral Home 3600 "O" Street, Lincoln, NE 68510. In lieu of flowers, memorials should be to the family, to be donated to the Weigel-Williamson Low Vision Clinic.
For more information, service livestream link, and condolences, visit https://www.wyuka.com/dr-ruth-elaine-walter-tomes/.
Wyuka Funeral Home & Cemetery
3600 "O" Street, Lincoln, NE
402-474-3600
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Published by Lincoln Journal Star on Nov. 8, 2026.
Memorial Events for Ruth Tomes
Nov
14
Memorial service
1:00 p.m.
Wyuka Funeral Home
3600 O Street, Lincoln, NE 68510
Funeral services provided by:
3600 O St, Lincoln, NE 68510
Call: (402) 474-3600
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Lincoln, NE
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