Rev. Dr. Ruth E. Mohring

Reverend Dr. Ruth Elsa Mohring, age 84 of Fairfield passed away peacefully on Monday, April 20, 2020 while receiving the loving care of her family.

Ruth was born and raised in Fair Lawn, NJ and was one of two daughters to Bernard and Elsa Mohring.  Ruth was born in her parents’ home in Fair Lawn and at a young age started studying music. She played a variety of instruments in the percussion family, mainly focusing on the drums.

While attending Fair Lawn High School, she was a member of the Fair Lawn High School Marching Band.  Following her high school graduation in 1952, Ruth attended Montclair Teacher’s College.  Ruth was a music major while at Montclair College and earned her degree in Music Education.  After graduating from college, Ruth accepted a position as a music teacher at Waldwick Elementary/Middle School.  When Ruth was hired in Waldwick, the school had no music department at all.  She assured and guaranteed the school that by Memorial Day, the school would have a band to march in the town’s annual Memorial Day Parade.  This was a promise that Ruth made good on and delivered.  During her years as a teacher in Waldwick, Ruth went back to Montclair Teacher’s College, where she earned her Master’s degree in music.  Ruth treasured twenty five years employed as a music teacher with the Waldwick Board of Education until her retirement some years ago.

Several years before her retirement from the Waldwick Board of Education, Ruth decided that she would go back to college where she would work at earning her degree in Theology and Divinity.  She started going to school at night at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Mahwah, which was part of Darlington Seminary.  There she earned her Bachelor’s degree, then attended school in Ohio for six months where she received her Master’s in Divinity.  Ruth then enrolled at Drew University's Theological School where she received her Doctor in Ministry. During her attendance at Drew University she was also employed as an adjunct professor.  

Ruth was Pastor at Evangelical Lutheran Church Prince of Peace in Denville for many years.  She was also the Chaplain for the Fire Department in Denville for some time.  Aside from being a music teacher and pastor, Ruth was also an accomplished artist.  She applied for a position at the Hallmark Company as an artist.  Hallmark, at the time, did not need artist but they did have an opening for a writer.  Ruth gladly took the position and wrote small booklets for the Hallmark Company for several years.  Because of her work with Hallmark, Ruth’s name has been logged in the Library of Congress, which is something that she was very proud.

While as Pastor at Prince of Peace Church in Denville, Ruth met a handsome man by the name of Jim Lappagaard at the annual church picnic.  As fate would have it, they fell in love and were married on June 8, 1986.  Ruth and Jim settled in Denville where Jim was living at the time and remained there for nearly thirty years.  Ruth and Jim cherished twenty-nine years of loving and loyal marriage until Jim’s passing in 2015.

Ruth was on the Board of Directors for Noah’s Arc Animal Shelter in Stanhope.  She was a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Florham Park, as well as Saint David’s Episcopal Church in Kinnelon.

Ruth is survived by her sister Alice Huizinga of Lincoln Park, one niece Pamela Ruth Rios and her husband Ramon Robert Rios of Stroudsburg, PA, and one nephew James Robert Huizinga and his wife Stephanie of Vernon, NJ, one grandniece Leanne Marie Rios, and one grandnephew Ramon Robert Rios of PA.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Ruth’s memory may be made to your favorite animal shelter or rescue.