Lori J. (Mrs. Bernie) Ruskamp, 57 of Pilger, died Friday, June 9, 2023 at her home surrounded by her family.
Memorial Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 14 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Wisner, with a luncheon to follow. Private family burial will be at a later date. Visitation will be on Tuesday, June 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church with a Vigil Service and Rosary at 7 p.m, and will continue one hour prior to the service.
Minnick Funeral Home in Wisner is assisting the family with the arrangements.
Lori Jean Ruskamp was born March 3, 1966 at West Point to Lyle and Rena (Sprout) Hollman. She attended Zion Lutheran Parochial School and graduated from Wisner-Pilger High School in 1984, where she participated in volleyball and track. Lori attended Lincoln School of Commerce in Lincoln, while working at the Lincoln Airport. After college, she met her future husband, Bernie, on Valentine’s Day while on a ski trip with friends to Keystone. Shortly after, she moved to and worked at Copper Mountain and Breckinridge, fulfilling her dream of working at a ski resort and to also be closer to Bernie. While working at the resorts, she lived in a cabin and had to drive over the Continental Divide twice a day.
On April 28, 1989 she married Bernie Ruskamp at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Olean. She took a job in Denver for an airline brokerage firm, who helped her attain her pilot’s license. Lori later obtained her medical transcription degree from Pickins Technical College in Aurora, Colorado, so that she could work from home and spend time raising her boys.
After the family moved to Pilger, Lori continued transcribing and also worked at Wisner-Pilger Schools. She later worked at the Pilger Library and Northeast Community College Library, where she enjoyed visiting with patrons. Lori took over the Country Market near Pilger, while it was a small craft show. Using her marketing skills and many hours of dedication, she grew the Country Market to a huge success. Under her passionate leadership, with the help of her family, it grew to over 100 vendors from nearby states.
Lori enjoyed spending many summer days of her childhood looking for antiques and other treasures with her Grandma Sprout, a hobby that she continued throughout her life. Lori loved coffee - enjoying it with friends or sipping it in her front chair as she prayed the Rosary. She loved her flowers, her animals, and naming all her fish, of which she had names for all. Among her favorites were Oz & Leo and Lavern & Shirley. She was instrumental in starting the Yoga classes in Pilger, and she coached Pinnacle Volleyball with Bernie for many years. Lori loved her boys. She was proud of their accomplishments, who they have become, and the bright futures they have in front of them. She also devoted endless hours taking care of her mother, Rena, while Rena was battling dementia in the last few years of her life.
Survivors include her husband, Bernie Ruskamp of Pilger; sons Riley Ruskamp of Omaha and Calby Ruskamp of Pilger; her father, Lyle Hollman of Wisner; a brother, Todd and Yvonne Hollman of Windsor, Colorado; her mother-in-law, Mary Ann Ruskamp of West Point; numerous in-laws, nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her mother, Rena Hollman; a daughter, Aspen Jae Ruskamp and father-in-law, Norbert Ruskamp.
