Ruby D. Pugh

Ruby Day Pugh left us March 17, 2022, as you would expect quietly, with grace and concern for those who loved her. Ruby was preceded in death by her parents, Edward Joseph Pickett and Frances Ann Laughman Pickett; her siblings who adored her, George Edward, Jennie Margritt, Francis Marion (Frank), Charles Edward, Walter H., Oscar Brock (Skillet), Boyd W. (Peachy), Blendell Laughman (Blen), James H., Daniel and Alice Marie. She is survived by her loving daughters, Geneva Hawkins (Jeffery), Roberta Pugh, Jacallyn Jones (Wayne) and Pamela Slasor. In grief there is a relief that her pain is over and joy in her reunion with those gone before. Her pride and joy were all those she called family, related by blood or not. She leaves behind 12 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great grandchildren. Thousands of people knew her simply as Grandma Ruby or Aunt Ruby. Her capacity to love and serve those in her circle was without limit. Ruby was born in Johnson County, Warrensburg, MO, on Jan. 14, 1917. Her early childhood, although marred by the depression she remembered as happy. She loved to share memories of the antics of she and her siblings. Always the instigator, she was fun and feisty always up for any adventure. When you were with Ruby, you always felt her joy in entertaining and creating fun. Losing both her parents at a young age Ruby went to work to help support her family. In her twenties she went to hospitality college. During these years, she took up the fight for civil rights and fought to ensure all students were given equal treatment and certifications. She became an excellent cook. Something she continued to love and do into her 100's. During WWII she worked as a riveter in the Kansas City, KS, bomber plant. In 1948 she visited her brother, who was living in Vancouver, WA. She fell in love with all the mountains, the Columbia River Gorge, and the coastal region. She wrote to her employer in Kansas City, and said simply, "I will not be back". Thus, began a lifelong love of the Pacific NW. It is hard to put into words who Ruby was. Every person who met her came away better for having known her with a feeling of joy and comfort. After retiring as a cook and housekeeper from OHSU, she worked providing hospice care for little old folks, frequently younger than herself. When she turned 99, she decided she was bored and needed a hobby, so she took up beading. Over the remainder of her life she created hundreds of necklaces and bracelets. She had a wit and intelligence that belied her leaving school in the 8th grade. She loved to do the crossword "in pen" and read The Columbian from cover to cover daily. She loved to read and passed her love of reading on to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The regional library sales were always circled on her calendar and she would buy books for all her family. She loved history, particularly versed in The Civil War, with many in her family serving in the south. She loved to entertain. Nothing would please her more than a house full of people to care for. She was an excellent cook, most famous for her pecan sticky buns, meringue cookies and fudge. You could not visit her and leave unfed or unloved. Memorial services will be held at the LDS Chapel, 14219 NE 49th Street, Vancouver, WA 98662, Saturday, April 2nd at 12:00 p.m. Viewing beginning from 10:00 a.m. until 11:30.

Ruby D. Pugh

January 14, 1917 - March 17, 2022