On Friday, August 22, 2025, Earl E. Skip Rueter, Jr., 84, of Quincy, passed away quietly at Blessing Hospital. The son of Earl and Marguerite (Klarner) Rueter, he was born in Quincy, Illinois, on September 2, 1940. On May 26, 1962, Skip wed Barbara Barby Hussong. She makes it through.
After completing Quincy Senior High School in 1958, Skip enlisted in the Army and served as a paratrooper in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with the 101St Airborne Division. After that, he worked for the Electric Wheel Company before starting on the loading dock at Prairie Farms Dairy. After 38 years with the Dairy, he managed the 24th Street facility until his retirement. He had previously worked at the facility.
He helped create, manage, and instruct the Flying Dutchmen Drum Corps. He was a former member of the Trojan Drum and Bugle Corps. Skip belonged to both the current Quincy Service Club and the prior Exchange Club of Quincy. Skip served as president of the Exchange Club, received the Distinguished Secretary Award, and was named the Exchange Club’s 1995 Exchangeite of the Year. At 5th and Jersey, Skip founded SKIPPYVILLE during the Quincy Exchange Club’s lengthy association with the Gus Macker. He liked working with everyone there and took tremendous delight in operating that. He received a lifetime membership in the Exchange Club in 2011.
In addition, Skip was among the first soccer coaches in the Quinsippi Soccer League. He also belonged to Cedar Crest Country Club, where he served as a board member and president in the past. He belonged to the Salem Church.
Along with his spouse, Skip is also survived by his children, Melissa Rueter (Mac) of Quincy and Greg Rueter (Sherry) of Bloomington, IL.GRANDCHILDREN: Christen, Kendall, Brent (Melissa), Brooke (Travis), Nate (Alexis), Payne, Grace, and Kylee.Rylee, Beckett, Corinne, Olive, Oakland, Olsen, Knox, Brecken, and Evie are all great-grandchildren.SIBLINGS: Marsha (Steve), Penny (Lewis), and Bill (Sanfra).There are also many surviving nieces, nephews, and other family members.
Skip’s parents, his sister Shari (Chuck), and his two sons, Ricky and Steven, passed away before him.
The Duker & Haugh Funeral Home will host funeral services on Friday, August 29, 2025, at 11:00 AM. Greenmount Cemetery is the place of burial. The Duker & Haugh Funeral Home will be open for visits on Thursday, August 28, 2025, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. The Great River Honor Flight can be honored. The arrangements are being handled by the Duker & Haugh Funeral Home.Online message sharing is available at www.dukerandhaugh.com.
