November 19, 1924
- September 13, 2013
Ruby A. Russell, aged 88 years, passed away peacefully on September 13, 2013 at the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax. Born in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, she was the youngest of seven children born to Reuben A. and Mary J. Russell. She grew up in Carbonear, came to work in Halifax, went back to live in Carbonear, and then returned again to Halifax, where she had lived for many years. She worked for long periods with both Canadian National Railways and Maritime Medical, before her retirement. Ruby was as kind-hearted a person as one could ever hope to know, and would do whatever she could to help someone in need. She was a wonderful conversationalist, took great pleasure in letter writing, and had a wicked sense of humour, occasionally straying into “blue” territory. Her Christmas missives could run to 20+ pages, and always arrived in a thick envelope stuffed with photocopied, cursive-written prose that both documented what was happening in her day-to-day life, and tackled the most philosophical of questions. After her retirement, Ruby decided to rent out a spare bedroom in her apartment to a student, and that was the beginning of a tremendously enriching part of her life. For over 20 years, she was “mama” to a succession of international students, mostly graduate or Ph.D. candidates, and in 2010 she was awarded a special commendation by the Dalhousie University International Students and Exchange Services in recognition and appreciation for her outstanding contribution to the international student community at Dalhousie. Ruby was also a prodigious knitter, and kept relatives and friends amply supplied with much loved mittens and socks, which she often knitted with her feline companion “Smoky” by her side. Ruby was pre-deceased by her parents, her brothers Lewis, Malcolm, Graham and Arthur, her sisters Hilda and Annie, and her daughter Sue. She is survived by, and will be sadly missed by, grand-daughters Tara Johnson (Abe) and Kenzie Moore (Joe Bellingham), as well as by many nieces and nephews, and their families all across Canada, from Newfoundland to British Columbia. Special thanks to Dr. Frank Lo for his caring and professional advice, and to Cecil and Giselle Allen for their constant love and support. Donations in memory of Ruby may be made to any charity of choice. Finally, as Ruby would say, “God bless you”. Visitation for Ruby will take place on Wednesday September 18th, 2013 from 2-4pm and 6-8pm. A Memorial service will also be held on Thursday September 19th, 2013 at 11am, both from the Atlantic Funeral home 6552 Bayer’s Rd. Halifax. For online condolences, please visit: www.atlanticfuneralhomes.com.