Ruth Duning Royer of Brookings passed away on July 13, 2016 at the age of 93. She had been a resident of The Neighborhoods at Brookview for the past 3 years.

Ruth Duning was born on April 29, 1923 in Richmond, Indiana. She spent her childhood in this city before going off to college. She received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music from the University of Cincinnati and married fellow music student, Paul Royer, on June 12, 1949. They settled in Huron, South Dakota initially, moving to Brookings in 1968.

During her career as a flutist, Ruth played in the Dayton (OH) Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, Cincinnati Summer Opera Orchestra, Huron Symphony and SDSU/Civic Symphony, as well as the woodwind trio Wind Power. She was one of only 6 women who toured with the Cincinnati Symphony in the late 1940s, which included her first visit to South Dakota. Playing in an orchestra and listening to orchestra music were among her favorite activities.

In addition to playing the flute in various orchestras, she also taught flute lessons at home, at Huron College and at SDSU, and also directed the choirs at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Huron and Ascension Lutheran Church in Brookings. She was a member of the National Flute Association, National Federation of Music Clubs and PEO.

Her other interests included tennis, reading, quilting, and biking. Her travels have taken her to 6 of the 7 continents, with trips to Kenya, Thailand, China and Croatia, to name a few. A favorite family story is from her college days, when she placed an alarm clock in the auditorium and set it to ring in the middle of the commencement address at her college graduation.

Ruth is survived by her four children: Judith, Landrum, SC; Randall (Teri), Pierre, SD; Ronald (Lori), Grapevine, TX; and Peter (Mary), Litchfield, MN; 10 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be 1:00 p.m. Monday, July 18, 2016, at Ascension Lutheran Church in Brookings. Her grandchildren will be the pallbearers. A visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Sunday at Eidsness Funeral Home with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. Burial will be in First Lutheran Cemetery at B rookings. Memorials can be directed to a music scholarship at SDSU and Ascension Lutheran Church, Brookings.