RUBY

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RUBY McKENDRY Ruby was born in Twillingate, NF on August 29, 1932 and died in Winnipeg on September 20, 2001. She was predeceased by her parents, Willis and Phoebe Osmond, brother Lawrence, and sister Doris. She leaves her husband Frank; daughters, Leslie (Stephen) McKendry-Smith and Tracy (Patrick) Kirby; and grandchildren, Aiden and Bryn Kirby to remember her. At her fathers insistence, Ruby became a school teacher in 1949. She found it not to be her calling and took up nursing, serving outport Newfoundland on a hospital ship. The plight of outport Newfoundlanders was too much for her gentle soul to bear, so she looked for a new challenge. In 1953, during the cold war, Ruby joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and became a fighter control operator. It was during this time that she met Frank. Frank brought Ruby to Winnipeg in the late winter of 1955/56 - one of the worst on record - making her wonder what she had gotten herself into. As happens in Winnipeg, the weather changed, and Ruby quickly grew to love her new home. Frank and Ruby were married in August of that year. The years that followed were extremely happy, especially the many summers spent at their cottage on Jessica Lake with their daughters and nieces. With the children beginning their lives in the early 80s, Ruby looked for something interesting and productive to do. She found employment with Naturalizer Shoes and soon after, became a store manager. Ruby retired in 1988 and immediately began planning their dream retirement home. Ruby and Frank moved to their new home in September, 1991 where they have lived very happily. Ruby will be sorely missed by all of her many friends and family. Memorial service will be held on Tuesday, September 25 at 2:00 p.m. in Green Acres Funeral Chapel, Highway 1 East at Green Acres Lane, with Rev. Carol Fletcher officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Deer Lodge Foundation, 2109 Portage Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3J 0L3. Frank and his family would like to thank all of the staff at Deer Lodge Centre, 4 East for their gentle care and support. Rubys family asks that if you smoke, quit; if you dont smoke, dont start. GREEN ACRES FUNERAL CHAPEL 222-3241

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 24, 2001