Karen Leslie Ruck

December 24, 1942 - March 8, 2022

Karen Leslie Ruck, 79, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at The Ohio State University Hospital in Columbus, Ohio surrounded by family. She was born in Youngstown, Ohio, to the late Stanley T. and Betty J. Bowden. Karen graduated from Canfield High School and went on to attend Bowling Green State University, majoring in Elementary Education. She also graduated with a Master’s degree in Childhood Education from The Ohio State University. Karen was a dedicated teacher and truly enjoyed teaching the younger students. She retired after teaching 15 years at Centennial Elementary. She also taught and served as the director at Salem Nursery School for 5 years. She was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority while at BGSU and remained an active alumni member. She was a long-time member of the Wapakoneta Junior Service League, Irving Club and a member at St. Paul United Church of Christ. She enjoyed playing Bridge with her friends. Karen was a devoted mother and is survived by her three children, Michelle (Brad) Hards, Dublin, Ohio, Todd (Susan) Ruck, Dublin, Ohio and Brian (Alise) Ruck, Havertown, PA; six grandchildren, Kristen, Kaitlyn and Kendra Hards, Emma Ruck, and Lauren and Leyton Ruck; two brothers, Gary (Kathy) Bowden, Apopka, Florida, Roger Bowden, Canfield, Ohio and one sister, Lori Bowden, Canfield, Ohio. Please join the family for a celebration of Karen’s life on Saturday, March 19th, at the Eley Funeral Home & Crematory, 1102 Lincoln Avenue, Wapakoneta, Ohio. Visitation will begin at 12:00 pm followed by a service at 1:30 pm. Her final resting place will be in the Canfield Cemetery in Canfield, Ohio. The funeral service will be live streamed on the Eley Funeral Home Facebook page, https://m.facebook.com/events/1027593851488320?acontext=%7B%22source%22%3A%223%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&aref=3&__tn__=HH-R As a final gesture to her dedication to teaching, Karen is making a contribution to the local public library and requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Auglaize County Public District Library at www.auglaizelibraries.org/content/donations for continued education of all children. Condolences may be expressed at www.eleyfuneralhomeandcrematory.com.