April 4, 2026, 91, Mount Olive – Mrs. Ruth Karla Steckmeier Emmer, age 91, passed away just as she lived: peacefully, gently, and quietly, on Saturday, April 4, 2026. She had been living at Terra Bella Assisted Living Center in Southern Pines, where she was loved and cared for by family and staff during the last year of her life.
Born in the 800-year-old city of Schwerin in East Germany, her early years were spent under the dark curtain of WWII. Enduring hardship and poverty following the war, she and her family escaped across the border into West Germany and restarted their lives. While working at the US Army Transportation office in Kaiserslautern, she met Eugene Emmer, a young American Army officer newly assigned to Germany. They fell in love and married in 1958 in the romantic German town of Landsberg am Lech. Then Ruth and Eugene began a 67-year marriage of love and devotion to each other. She took on the role of making a home at each new duty station and being a supportive military wife and great Mother to their only child, Mark.
After her husband’s retirement from 20 years in the military in 1976, the family moved from the D.C. area back to their home in Columbus, Georgia. However, they desired to get out of the city and into a rural setting. Therefore, in 1980 they moved to Calypso, NC, and “took root” in the area, becoming faithful members of Calypso Presbyterian Church and Eugene becoming mayor of Calypso for many years. Calypso remained home for 23 years until the couple relocated to an independent living facility in Wilmington. In April of 2025, the couple moved to Southern Pines to be near their son, Mark and his family.
Mrs. Emmer leaves behind her son, Mark, and daughter-in-law, Camille W. Emmer, of Whispering Pines; a grandson, David Alexander Emmer, of Charlotte; a granddaughter, Lauren Elizabeth Emmer, currently in Australia; a nephew, Peter Steckmeier; and a niece, Barbel Steckmeier both living in Germany.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, LTC Eugene S. Emmer in December of 2025; her father, Ludwig Steckmeier, who was killed during WWII; her mother, Gertrude Steckmeier Westphal; her step-father, Hans Jurgen Westphal; a brother, Peter Steckmeier and his wife, Kathe; and a sister, Barbel Steckmeier.
A celebration-of-life service for Mrs. Ruth Emmer will be held Sunday, April 19, at 3 p.m. at Calypso Presbyterian Church. Pastor Nick Nielsen will be Officiating. The family will greet friends during the hour prior to the service in the church fellowship hall.
Memorial gifts may be made to Calypso Presbyterian Church, PO Box 321, Calypso, NC 28325 or to a charity of choice.
