Dorothy May (Badour) Ruelle

RUELLE, DOROTHY MAY, age 91, of Clarkston, MI went home to be with the Lord on November 12, 2021. Born DOROTHY MAY BADOUR in Essexville/Bay City, Michigan on April 19, 1930 to loving parents Joseph and Agnes (Stagery) Badour. The youngest daughter of 11 children; Ceil, Catherine, Jerome, Margaret, Clare, William, Minn, & Lawrence (Pete) and twins Steven & Samuel (survived 3 days) & Dorothy. She was raised on the 40-acre family farm in Essexville, where they grew vegetables and had an apple orchard. Besides a lot of hoeing, in the 1940’s she helped her father weekly go to the Bay City Farmers Market “last stall on the left” selling bushels of apples & veggies.

She had to quit going to school in order to take care of her crippled brother Pete & the family. She worked at the Bay City Chevrolet plant to put her husband, Bill through college at Central Michigan University.

She was the beloved wife of the late Wilbur F. Bishop (from 1953-1959) and the late William Arthur Ruelle (from 1960-1996) of 36 wonderful years; cherished mother of William A. Ruelle Jr. (& Ronnie Jacek Ruelle); Robert Joseph (& Maggie Lyn) Ruelle and Theresa (& Michael) Richards and pre-deceased by her twin sons, the late James Jerome Ruelle and the late Thomas Boyd Ruelle; pre-deceased by her daughter-in-law Christina Anne Rourke-Ruelle and pre-deceased by her 10 brothers and sisters. Dorothy was religiously strong and very grounded in faith.  It is her deeply religious conviction; kindness & good deeds people will remember. Two words that sum up Dorothy are kindness and love. Every favor, free/at no charge graduation or wedding cake or good work for someone, and she would say” I’m just trying to earn my star in heaven”.

She was extremely focused and hardworking and helped raised a wonderful family, besides the 100+ children she cared for over the years. Dorothy was a classic beauty who was crowned the Navy Queen in 1952; in her free time, she modeled and taught modeling. She helped put her sons through college with a Home Day Care Service/ babysitting and a home bakery making wedding cakes. Dorothy will be deeply missed by her family, many special nieces & nephews, grandchildren, Brandon, Erica, Samantha, Emily, Melanie, Christopher & Kevin and great granddaughter Lily, friends, and community.

She was a member of Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church for over 50 years, but also attended Our Lady of Lourdes in Venice, FL. For the last 11 years, she has been a resident of Lourdes Nursing Home, in Waterford, MI. A private Memorial Mass will take place at Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church. Interment at All Saints Cemetery. Her wishes were that donations would be made to:  Boston University -CTE Center for the study of CTE- Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy & Brain Injury

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