Loretta Rusch, age 101+, passed away on May 20th, 2026. Loretta was born on August 20, 1924 in Homestead, Iowa. The fifth of seven children born to Oscar and Martha Kamprath, she grew up in Williamsburg, Iowa, attending elementary and secondary school, where she met and married (January 29, 1944), William Wallace (Bill) after he offered to buy from her not one, but two, movie theater tickets that she was selling as a fund-raiser for the high school literary magazine, provided that she go with him to the movie (“Of Mice and Men”). Loretta and Bill had two children, Ronald William (Rusty), born on February 18, 1945 and Teri-Ann, born on January 14, 1950. After living briefly in El Paso, Texas; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Iowa City, Iowa; and Dubuque, Iowa; she moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1950, residing in University City, Clayton, and Webster Groves.

She worked for a time as a secretary in the guidance office of University City High School. She loved fishing for bluegills in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and (once!) trout in Wyoming. She was an avid card player, especially enjoying “500” with her family (though she rarely won a hand), and “Kings in the Corner” with her sister, Ethel, and her close friends. At various times in her life she made jewelry, cutting and polishing stones in her basement workshop; she took piano lessons; and she experimented with photography. For many years she cared for Bill, a professor of law at Washington University, who suffered from Multiple Sclerosis until his death in 1981.

She later married Reuben Rusch and traveled widely in Europe and the United States, spending winters in a beach front condo on Siesta Key, Florida, collecting shells, and enjoying fish fries at the Old Salty Dog, peel and eat shrimp at Cap’n Curt’s Crab & Oyster Bar, and red snapper at Turtle’s Restaurant. After Reuben died in 2000 she lived with her daughter, Teri-Ann, and became a loyal St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan, with a special fondness for Albert Pujols (though she was not happy when he left the team) and Yadier Molina.

In March, 2022, she moved to Brookdale Senior Living in Madison, Wisconsin. Increasingly hard-of-hearing, and suffering from macular degeneration, she nevertheless gained a reputation as being the winningest bingo player in the facility. She also became a master gin rummy player, routinely beating her son, Rusty; daughter-in-law, Peg; and friend (Peg’s mother), Hilda; at their Sunday lunchtime card games.

She was a long-time member of St. Marks Evangelical Lutheran Church in Clayton, Missouri, and, subsequently, Westminster Presbyterian Church in Madison, which provided a loving community of faith and friends throughout her life. Although in her later years she suffered considerable chronic pain, she always remained quietly upbeat, optimistic, supportive, and non-judgmental. She was sweetness and light. Her favorite quote was “This is the day the Lord has made. We should rejoice and be glad in it,” advice that guided her daily. She is survived by her brother, Don; one child, Rusty (Ron); four grandchildren, Molly, Emily, Mason, and Will; and six great grandchildren, Ruby, Elsie, Ernie, Lucy, Madeline, and Hudson, who will miss her mightily.

At Loretta’s request there will be only a small family interment service in St. Louis. Donations may be made in her memory to St. Marks Evangelical Lutheran Church (6337 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO 631170; Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4100 Nakoma Road, Madison, WI 53711); and Wisconsin Prison Partnership, 1609 University Ave, Madison, WI 53726).

Please share your memories below in the online guestbook. 

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service

3610 Speedway Road Madison

(608) 238-3434