Ruth Irene (Phelps) Justis, 88, of Appleton City, Missouri, passed away Friday morning, April 10, 2026, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Warrensburg, MO, with her family by her side.
Ruth was born June 3, 1937 in Janesville, Wisconsin, to Charles and Ada Mae (Maly) Phelps. She joined the Marine Corps in 1956. During her time there, she met and married her husband, Forest Wayne “Wayne” Justis in 1957. They shared 62 years of marriage and to this union, 2 children, Charles and Dorene, were born.
Ruth grew up in Whitewater, WI., the oldest of three children. Ruth graduated from Whitewater High School in 1955. While in the Marines, Ruth played on a championship winning Marine basketball team. After Ruth was discharged, she loved and supported her husband during his career in the Marines. She obtained her ham radio license to help Wayne run phone patches from Vietnam to the US for soldiers that were away from their families.
After Wayne retired in 1976, they bought a small farm and spent the rest of their days together there. Ruth always had an amazing garden and prosperous fruit trees. She canned all summer long to provide for her family. Ruth loved animals of any kind. Most of the animals she cared for were so spoiled, they didn’t know they were animals. She nursed many baby and injured animals back to health. Ruth also loved to hunt deer, turkey, squirrel and rabbit.
She loved her grandchildren and always had baked goods ready to share with them. You could never have just one cookie – you had two hands, so you needed a cookie for each hand! No one could ever duplicate her gingerbread cookies, even using her recipe. She did make the grandkids mind and respect her, even if it meant threatening them with a wooden spoon. She also shared advice with them: “when you are driving and the traffic light turns yellow – it means hurry up It’s going to turn red!” She was full of love and laughter.
Ruth is survived by a son, Charles Justis, of Long Beach, Mississippi; a daughter, Dorene Boehler (Gary), of Montrose, Mo.; 5 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; 1 great-great-grandchild; and a brother, Terry Phelps (Sandy), state of Wisconsin. She was preceded in death by her husband, Wayne; parents, Charles and Ada Mae Phelps; a sister, Jean Jenkins; and a grandson, Dustin Boehler.
Ruth always had a smile and a hug for you. She was a blessing to all who knew her and will be greatly missed by all.
Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. Friday, April 17, 2026 at the Missouri Veterans Home-Warrensburg, 1300 Veterans Road, Warrensburg, MO. The family will receive friends from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., just prior to the funeral service. Mrs. Justis will lie in state Thursday from noon to 7:00 p.m. at the Bradley & Hadley Funeral Home, Clinton. Burial will be in Englewood Cemetery, Clinton. Military services will be at the gravesite under the direction of the Marine Honors Team and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 1894, Clinton. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Missouri Veterans Home-Warrensburg.
