Joan
Rutschman, a woman once known as “Mama Cat” by the Linfield community, died
Friday, Sept. 9, 2016.
A
memorial service is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday in the Ted Wilson Gym at Linfield.
A reception will follow.
She was
born on Sept. 9, 1932. In 1999 she was inducted into the Linfield Athletics
hall of fame, and she is one of 10 individuals who were 1999 inductees.
“In my
opinion, she was part of what I call Linfield’s greatest generation,” head
football coach Joe Smith said.
She
impacted Linfield greatly as she was the college’s athletic department
secretary for 27 years. Later she became the athletic booster club coordinator
and a ticket manager.
Her
husband, Ad Rutschman, is also an important part of Linfield. He is in the
Linfield Athletics hall of fame for football and was a football and baseball
coach at Linfield.
To honor
the Rutschmans for their contributions, the field house on Linfield Avenue is
named the Ad and Joan Rutschman Field House.
Mrs.
Rutschman was loved by many, especially people in the Linfield community. “Mrs.
Rutschman made me feel like I was the most important person in the world,”
football coach Doug Hire said. “I will never forget her kind words.”
Smith
said her compassion and kindness is what set her apart from others. “She gave
everything to Linfield,” Smith said.
