| Sources |
- [S142] Newspaper Article, La Junta Tribune Democrat (CO), 2 Jun 2015.
Ruby Jean passed peacefully May 20, 2015, at the home of her daughter Donna Hewitt in Seattle, Washington. Ruby passed away from complications after her cancer came back after many years of remission. She was surrounded by all three daughters, Karen, Nancy and Donna.
Ruby was born to Lynn and Lawrence ("Cuddle") Ridennoure in Higbee, Colorado, on June 20, 1928. She attended school through eighth grade in the Higbee Valley. Ruby graduated from La Junta High School in 1947 then attended college in Fort Collins and Greeley. In 1948 Ruby worked at the lodge in Mesa Verde National Park where she met and later married (in 1949) Arthur ("T") Frank Hewitt Jr. from Denver. They raised their three daughters in National Parks all over the west including Zion, Mesa Verde, Carlsbad Caverns, Yellowstone and Hawaii Volcanoes. When they divorced, Ruby moved to Prescott, Arizona, where she met and was married to Dennis Marshall from 1978 to 1986. Ruby lived in Salt Lake City from 1986 to 2015, with a brief move to California after she retired at the age of 81.
Ruby is survived by her sister Lois Freidenberger of La Junta; her daughters Karen Hewitt Guest (Chris), Donna Hewitt (Tony Wood), and Nancy Hewitt; grandchildren Candace Jordan (Michael Luther), Carrie Stroud (Ricky), Madison Hewitt-Brown, and Makena Hewitt-Brown. Ruby is also survived by great-grandchildren Derek, Cody, Isadora and Nathanael, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Ruby was preceded in death by her parents; her siblings Betty Jo, Lawrence, Ben, Patricia, Ted, and Jerry ; her son-in law Terry Brian; and her grandsons Stuart and Frank.
Ruby lived life well and with purpose. She was a great friend, an explorer, a mountain climber, a bird watcher, a wonderful mother, a nature lover, and a prolific reader. She was full of knowledge about many topics, could grow all kinds of plants, had a great sense of humor, and was ready to take on a new adventure at the drop of a hat … and she had a large hat collection.
Ruby was young at heart; she lived her life simply and with a pioneer spirit. When asked to go somewhere or do something new she almost always replied with a hearty yes and often was waiting at the door when you got there. She loved road trips and taught her daughters how to make those trips into "24-hour picnics," which consisted of enough snacks for three days! Mom was always thankful for what she had and what she was given. She was a hard worker, a great employee who always arrived early for work. She loved to be outside on the patio with friends. She relished a game of golf, loved nature walks, and enjoyed her evening snack of cheese and crackers and a glass of wine with friends. She often played solitaire in the morning while drinking coffee and loved a late night game of dominoes. Ruby enjoyed spending time with her Cousin Barbara in Fruita, Colorado, and had a passion for thrift store "treasures."
Her wish is to have her ashes returned to the Purgatory River in Colorado where she was born, and to Mesa Verde a place she loved. A celebration of her life will be held on June 28 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Aloha, Ruby, you will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved you.
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1928 - 2015 (86 years)
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