November 9, 2023 – Hartford, WI – Ruth Adelle Knoll passed away peacefully on November 8, 2023, while listening to Felix Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” a favorite oratorio. Ruth was born in Oconomowoc, WI on September 17, 1936, to William F. and Ruth Lucile (Johnson) Knoll, both of whom preceded her in death. Ruth is survived by many cousins on both the Johnson and Knoll sides of her extended family. The students and choir members whom Ruth cared about are countless.
Ruth was the Choral Director at Hartford High School from 1958 to 1998 and involved in voice lessons, solo-ensemble contests, and musical theater productions. Her Hartford High School Concert Choir performed twice with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. She received the Herb Kohl Fellowship for excellent teaching in 1991.
In addition, she founded the Hartford Community Chorus in 1960, which continues to this day with performances in the Ruth A. Knoll Theater in the Schauer Center, as well as at Holy Hill with up to 100 voices. The City of Hartford proclaimed December 12, 2010, as “Ruth A. Knoll Day” and presented her with a key to the City.
Ruth appreciated all aspects of the arts, the beauty of nature, and sitting on the deck of her childhood home on Lac La Belle in Oconomowoc watching the changing aspects of the lake as dusk would settle upon the earth.
Visitation for Ruth will be on Saturday, November 18, 2023, at the First United Methodist Church of Hartford, Wisconsin at 738 W. Monroe Avenue, Hartford, Wisconsin from 10 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. followed by a 1:00 p.m. service. Burial will be Monday, November 20, 2023, in the La Belle Cemetery, 700 E. Grove Street, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. A celebration of Ruth’s life will be planned at a later date with opportunities to share memories and enjoy music.
Memorials can be made to the Schauer Center; the First United Methodist Church of Hartford, Wisconsin; The Hartford Community Chorus; or the Ruth A. Knoll Music Scholarship.
