| Graduation Year | Class of 1966 |
| Date of Passing | May 25, 2016 |
| About | Ruthanne Cooper Pleasant of Kelso, WA, passed away at her home on May 25, 2016. She was raised in Union Gap and was the daughter of Sarah and Riley Cooper. Ruthanne is preceded in death by her husband, Clyde Ray Pleasant, her infant son Brian Ray, her parents, stepfather Fred Swaffard, her father and mother-in-law Clyde and Elsie Pleasant, and her sister-in-law Geri VanOmmeren. Ruthanne is survived by her three children and grandchildren: Kim and Kelly Kellogg of Kelso (Kelsey and Kaden), Lori and Mark Mayfield of Cowiche (Matthew and Lilly), Randy and Martina Pleasant Kelso (Abby Rae). She is also survived by her sisters Carol and Mike Carolus, and Dorayne Hutchins; a brother-in-law, Arnie Pleasant and numerous nieces and nephews. Her family meant everything to her no matter how close or distant they were. Ruthanne married Ray Pleasant in July of 1968 in Yakima, WA. They claimed that the temperature was the hottest day of the year and the church didn’t have air conditioning. She supported Ray in his life long dream of becoming a helicopter pilot and serving in the military. After their time in the service, Ruthanne and Ray settled in Kelso, WA to raise their family. Ray continued to fly helicopters, this time for Weyerhaeuser, and Ruthanne loved supporting him and her children in their many sporting activities. Ruthanne was not afraid to jump in and taking on challenges head-on. She coached soccer while teaching herself about the sport at the same time. Her and fellow coach Pat Berg coached a winning team from the beginning to the end. Her “girls” meant everything to her and she enjoyed catching up with them where ever she was. There were times that she was known to catch up in the middle of Safeway, meeting one friend after another, not realizing that she had been at the store for over an hour. This year was Ruthanne’s 50th high school reunion and she was so proud to be an Ike Cadet. Her class raised enough money for three separate scholarships present to graduates of the 2016 class at Ike. She was also so proud to be a “Gap Kid” and loved to share stories about growing up in The Gap. She enjoyed keeping up with and in touch with all of her friends through Facebook. There will be a Celebration of Life for Ruthanne at the Central Washington Ag Museum in Union Gap on Saturday, June 25th at 1:00. Please join us in celebrating Ruthanne and sharing memories. Yakima Herald Republic, Yakima, WA June 20-21, 2016. |
