Pearl Helen (Nash) Ruby

Pearl Helen Ruby went home March 16, 2022 to be with Jesus, her dear Earle and family who had gone before. Born on August 3, 1920 she was the youngest daughter of Ray and Grace Nash. Happy childhood years were spent on Coos River where the children rode the ferry boat to school. She and sister Lena were constant companions. Schooldays brought her best life long friend Betty Curl. She found true friends the rest of her life. It was true of her ‘to know her is to love her’. When she was 11 her dad bought the store at Hill City, Idaho where she met the Rice clan and her future husband, Earle Ruby. They were married in 1939 and showed us all how a loving marriage looks and lasts. To that union 9 children were born. Earle and Pearl loved us completely, disciplined us fairly and expected us to do well. We were carried to church within weeks of our birth and attended services with them until we left home. Faith in God was lived before us daily and we were prayed for more than we knew. Pearl would rather read than eat and raised her children to love books. Library books couldn’t go back until Mama read them, not because she was a censor but because they were too interesting to leave alone! She also held with the ‘cleanliness is next to Godliness’ rule. Nobody left the house without being approved by Mama. She said, “People expect large families to be dumb or dirty. We are neither!” So it goes without saying, we delivered good report cards! As hard as she worked, she was a great enjoyer of life. She reveled in beauty whether flowers, birds, music, a fun play, well-written story or good joke. Her laugh was infectious, her encouragement inspiring. Naturally timid and shy, she felt she didn’t have a lot to offer, but she thought her children could do anything. Her Christian faith was the mainstay of her life and her greatest desire was that each of her children and grandchildren know Jesus as their savior so that she would be with them all eternally.

Pearl was preceded in death by her beloved husband Earle, a son Michael, a granddaughter Jenalie, a great granddaughter Cora, a son-in-law Les and all of her birth family. She leaves behind her children: Lois (Gary) Swope, Donna (Troy) Unruh, Julia Heasley, Linda (Charlie) Arrendale, Gini (Lindsay) Johnson, David (Nancy) Ruby, Kathy Ruby, James (Amy) Ruby and many grandchildren, great grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren.

Her celebration of life will be on Saturday, May 21, 2022 at 11:00am at the Bethel Nazarene Church, 3001 12th Ave. Rd. in Nampa. Inurnment will be in the Camas County cemetery at Hill City, Idaho.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Nampa Funeral Home, Yraguen Chapel, 415 12th Ave. So., Nampa – 208-442-8171. An online guest book is available at www.nampafuneralhome.com

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