Ruby Richards

RUBY E. RICHARDS
RUBY E. RICHARDS WAS BORN DECEMBER 6, 1908, ON THE A.E. WEBER FARM AT THE SOUTH EDGE OF POTOSI THE THIRD OF FIVE GIRLS BORN TO ANDREW EARNEST AND ANNIE ELIZABETH (TORRENCE) WEBER. SHE WENT TO BE WITH THE LORD DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11TH, 2000, AT PARKLAND HEALTH CENTER, FARMINGTON, A LITTLE LESS THAN TWO MONTHS SHORT OF HER 92ND BIRTHDAY.
RUBY WAS A MEMBER OF POTOSI UNITED METHODIST CHURCH FOR MORE THAN 80 YEARS.
HER LIFE SPANNED A TIME FROM THE HORSE AND BUGGY DAYS TO THE SPACE AGE. SHE WAS A PERSON WHO RESISTED CHANGE, BUT DURING HER LIFE PROBABLY WITNESSED MORE AND BIGGER CHANGES THAN AT ANY OTHER TIME IN HISTORY.
SHE LOVED TO TELL STORIES OF GROWING UP ON THE FAMILY FARM, WALKING TO SCHOOL SOME TWO MILES, ICE SKATING IN THE WINTER ON THE NEIGHBORING PONDS, LEARNING TO COOK AND SEW AND LEARNING TO BECOME A SERIOUS STUDENT WHO GREW TO BE A RESPONSIBLE ADULT.
SHE WAS A STUDIOUS CLASSMATE AT POTOSI ELEMENTARY WHERE HER ABILITIES EARNED HER A DOUBLE PROMOTION WHICH CAUGHT HER UP WITH HER OLDER SISTER MINNIE. THE TWO BECAME ALMOST INSEPARABLE AS THEY MADE THEIR WAY THRU LOCAL SCHOOLS AND THEN WENT AWAY TO SOUTHEAST STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE AT CAPE GIRARDEAU, WHERE THEY BOTH ATTENDED TWO YEARS AND EARNED TEACHER'S CERTIFICATES.
RUBY OFTEN CREDITED HER EDUCATION WHAT SHE CALLED "REALLY LEARNING A SUBJECT" WITH HAVING BEEN TAUGHT AT POTOSI BY "MISS LETTIE" PARMLEY.
COMING BACK HOME TO WASHINGTON COUNTY, SHE TAUGHT IN RURAL ONE-ROOM SCHOOLS, WHERE SHE SAID ON MANY OCCASIONS SEVERAL OF THE STUDENTS WERE MUCH BIGGER THEN SHE WAS AND SOME NEARLY AS OLD.
"MISS WEBER" TAUGHT SCHOOL TERMS AT HOCHSTATTER, CADET AND PLEASANT HILL BEFORE MARRYING THE "LOVE OF HER LIFE," HUGH RICHARDS, ON JUNE 7, 1931, AT STEELVILLE. HUGH WAS EMPLOYED AT "THE INDEPENDENT- JOURNAL" AS A TYPESETTER AND PRINTER. NOT LONG AFTER MARRYING, SHE BECAME A FULL-TIME HOUSEWIFE AND EVENTUALLY THE MOTHER OF THREE DAUGHTERS AND A SON.
HUGH DIED ON JULY 10, 1956, AND, ALTHOUGH HER EDUCATION AND LIFE'S CAREER WAS THAT OF A TEACHER, THROUGH LIFE'S TURN OF EVENTS SHE BECAME CO-PUBLISHER OF THE NEWSPAPER WHICH THEY HAD SINCE BOUGHT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HER SISTER AND BROTHER-IN-LAW, DOROTHY AND LOWELLL MCFARLAND.
AT THE NEWSPAPER (AS A LOVER OF HISTORY) SHE DEVOTED MUCH OF THE EARLY YEARS RESEARCHING NEWSPAPER FILES FOR PRODUCTION OF THE "YEARS AGO" COLUMN. SHE CONTINUED IN THAT POSITION FOR 44 YEARS. SHE WAS OFTEN SOUGHT AFTER DUE TO HER WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE OF LOCAL HISTORY- PARTICULARLY "WHERE WAS ?? LOCATED?" SHE ALWAYS REMEMBERED RIGHT UP TO THE LAST, FOR THIS THE FAMILY IS SO THANKFUL.
RUBY WAS A GRACIOUS LADY WHOSE HAIR, MAKEUP AND MODE OF DRESS (MANY OF WHICH SHE FASHIONED HERSELF IN EARLIER YEARS) EARNED HER RESPECT AND A MYRIAD OF COMPLIMENTS FROM CUSTOMERS AND VISITORS TO "THE I-J". IF SHE LEFT THE HOUSE SHE WAS ALWAYS DRESSED. SHE LIKED TO TELL PEOPLE "I NEVER OWNED A PAIR OF PANTS IN MY LIFE!"
SHE WORKED FOUR HALF DAYS A WEEK AT THE OFFICE AND COUNTLESS HOURS AT HOME ON BOOK WORK UNTIL FAILING HEALTH CONDITIONS PREVENTED HER FROM CONTINUING AT NEARLY 89 YEARS OF AGE.
SHE WAS A LADY WHO CHERISHED, NOT RELISHED, HER PRIVACY. SHE WAS A CREATURE OF HABIT AND ROUTINE AS MANY OF US ARE. THERE WAS A TIME AND PLACE FOR EVERYTHING AND WHEN HER SCHEDULE GOT MESSED UP SHE WAS QUICK TO POINT IT OUT AND LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY. SHE HAD AN OPINION ON EVERYTHING WHICH SHE WAS ALWAYS WILLING TO SHARE.
EVERY THE STERN DISCIPLINARIAN AND STRONG BELIEVER IN TOUGH LOVE, SHE REVELED IN SENDING YOU TO CUT YOUR OWN SWITCH AND THEN SENDING YOU BACK AGAIN WHEN THE TWIG YOU SHOWED UP WITH WASN'T STURDY ENOUGH TO ADMINISTER THE NECESSARY ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT. SHE WAS ALWAYS READY TO SHARE YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS...AND THERE FOR SUPPORT AT TIME OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE.
ALTHOUGH SHE WATCHED SOME TELEVISION IN LATER YEARS WHEN HER EYESIGHT BEGAN TO FAIL, SHE NEVER REALLY CARED MUCH FOR IT RATHER BEING MUCH HAPPIER TO ENJOY A GOOD NOVEL-HER FAVORITE (NOVEL AND MOVIE) WAS "GONE WITH THE WIND."
SHE WAS A LOVING WIFE, MOTHER, GRANDMOTHER, GREAT GRANDMOTHER, FRIEND AND FAMILY BUSINESS PARTNER, WHO NEVER FORGOT A BIRTHDAY OR AN ANNIVERSARY. SHE WAS A LADY WHO WAS VERY PROUD OF HER GERMAN HERITAGE.
HER PASSION WAS UPGRADING AND REMODELING HER HOME IN POTOSI WHERE SHE HAD SPENT THE LAST 50 YEARS (35 OF THOSE LIVING ALONE). SHE GREATLY ENJOYED DESIGNING AND SEEING A PROJECT CARRIED THROUGH WHICH TURNED WASTED SPACE INTO CABINETS, BOOK AND DISPLAY SHELVES FOR HER MANY KEEPSAKE ITEMS AND THIMBLE AND OWL COLLECTIONS.
SHE DEARLY LOVED RED AND BLUE. SHE WOULD TALK ON THE TELEPHONE TO FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS AND RELATIVES AS LONG AS ANYONE WISHED TO CONTINUE.
HER FAVORITE FORM OF COMMUNICATION WAS THROUGH LETTERS-SHE LOVED TO SEND AND RECEIVE LETTERS-MANY OF WHICH SHE KEPT, SOME AS OLD AS 75 YEARS OR MORE. HER HANDWRITING WAS AS IMPECCABLE AS SHE WAS- ALSO ACCREDITED TO "MISS LETTIE".
BESIDES HER PARENTS AND HUSBAND, SHE WA PRECEDED IN DEATH BY AN INFANT SISTER HELEN IDABELLE WEBER AND THREE SISTERS AND THEIR HUSBANDS: MINNIE AND HARRY R. (BOB) HALE, DOROTHY (TOOTS) AND LOWELL MCFARLAND AND GLADYS AND FERMEN WILSON.
SURVIVORS WHO WILL SADLY MISS AND LOVINGLY REMEMBER THIS FIERCELY INDEPENDENT LADY ARE: HER CHILDREN AND THEIR SPOUSES-PAMELA CAROL AND CHARLES WEBB, KIRKWOOD, NEIL AND KATHLEEN RICHARDS, POTOSI; MEREDITH ANN AND DR. ROBERT LEE DUNBAR, RED BLUFF, CALIFORNIA AND JENNIFER J. AND ROGER BORCHERDING, VALLEY PARK; EIGHT GRANDCHILDREN, SUELLEN KAY AND ROBERT MIZE, FESTUS; KRISTOPHER HUGH AND PAM RICHARDS, POTOSI; SEAN DUNBAR, RED BLUFF, CALIFORNIA; MICHAEL DAVID AND HEATHER JOHNSON, POTOSI; SCOTT BORCHERDING, ST. LOUIS; JASON NEIL AND TONYA RICHARDS, FESTUS; TARA AND LEON TURNBULL, FOLSOM, CALIFORNIA AND TIM AND TANYA BORCHERDING, ST. LOUIS; SEVEN GREAT GRANDCHILDREN-NIKOLE, GARRETT AND KYLE JOHNSON; DYLAN EYE, KAMERON HUGH RICHARDS AND AUBREY AND LEIA BARNES; TWO SISTERS-IN-LAW: SYDNEY, MRS. EDWARD RICHARDS, CAPE GIRARDEAU AND ARMEDA, MRS. CLARENCE RICHARDS, ROLLA; SEVERAL NIECES, NEPHEWS, COUSINS, OTHER RELATIVES AND A HOST OF FRIENDS.
VISITATION WAS HELD 3:30 TO 9:00 P.M. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2000 AND 8:30 A.M. TO 12:45 P.M. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2000 AT THE MOORE FUNERAL CHAPEL, POTOSI.
FUNERAL SERVICES WERE HELD AT 1:00 P.M. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2000 FROM MOORE'S CHAPEL WITH REV. JULIUS KETSENBURG OFFICIATING. BURIAL WAS IN THE NEW MASONIC CEMETERY, POTOSI, NEXT TO HER HUSBAND.
SERVING AS PALLBEARERS WERE, SCOTT AND TIM BORCHERDING, MICHAEL JOHNSON, JASON RICHARDS, ROB MIZE AND BARRY MCFARLAND. HONORARY PALLBEARER, KRIS RICHARDS.
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS DONATIONS WERE SUGGESTED TO THE AMERICXAN HEART ASSOCIATION.