July 25, 1921 - February 22, 2022 (Age: 100 years)
Ruby Clowes passed away peacefully on February 22, 2022, at the Glebe Centre in Ottawa. She was the beloved wife of the late Gerry Clowes (1986); mother to Rick Clowes of Calgary (Chris Boyd), Margo Korneluk of Ottawa (Robert) and Linda Clowes of Toronto; loving grandmother to Yolanda Korneluk (Marc Martineau), Andrea Caldwell, Paul Korneluk, Laura Boyd-Clowes and Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes; great grandmother to Vegas, Alannah, Robert, Blue, Ruby and Onyx; great, great grandmother to Jayden, Jaxon and Lucas.
Ruby was born in Shelburne, ON, the second youngest in a family of eight. She was always a bit of a rebel, being the first in her small town to wear shorts and don purple lipstick. She also learned how to ride her brother’s motorcycle when she was 16. She was a character even then. Ruby attended high school in Orangeville, which is where she met her future husband, Gerry. However, it wasn’t until Gerry returned from the War in 1946 that they met again and began dating. They were married on Ruby’s birthday—July 25, 1947.
During the War years (1941-46), Ruby worked as a stenographer at Fairbanks Morris in Toronto. This is where she met her dearest friend, Gladys Watson, now deceased. She had many stories to tell of her life during this period and her double dates with Glady. They had worked out a great system of getting asked out to dinner as they both did not enjoy cooking.
Once married, and after Ricky, Margo and Linda were born, the family moved to Sudbury and later to Sault Ste. Marie. Ruby stayed home when the kids were young, but she eventually went back to work. She always worked in jobs where she could interact with people. Her favourite job was working for the Sault Ste. Marie “Shoppers News” selling advertising. She could really employ her “gift of the gab” in that job, and she was quite a successful salesperson.
Ruby was fiercely loyal to and protective of her family. She could be counted on to go to bat for her children and grandchildren if she believed they were being treated unfairly. The Clowes household was one that welcomed kids—a place were high school friends of all three Clowes children felt relaxed thanks mainly to Ruby’s friendly countenance. In fact, even to this day, friends of the Clowes kids all speak affectionately of Ruby and Gerry and the Christmas eves when the house at 10 Bloor Street was open to all their friends until the wee hours of the morning.
After losing her husband and best friend, Ruby moved to Ottawa in 1987 to be closer to family. She maintained an active life, joining the gym at the Chateau Laurier, finally learning how to swim and volunteering at various organizations. A self-described political junkie, Ruby would often attend the Question Period on Parliament Hill and work for her favourite constituent.
Ruby was lucky to have many opportunities to travel, both with Gerry and on her own. She loved the excitement of seeing new places and meeting new people.
When she was 92, Ruby moved to a retirement residence. She enjoyed the “parties” they would have and met many new friends during that time. Eventually she moved to her final home at the Ottawa Glebe Centre long-term care facility. She was still a character, even in her older age. She loved to share her life stories and even wrote her Memoirs. She became known for her collection of colourful hats and shoes. She was using a walker by this time, and she spent a good portion of her day walking the halls and chatting with the residents and staff. She attended the Glebe’s art classes and produced some great paintings when she was 97 and 98. This was a skill that came to her late in life.
As she aged and needed more care, she was fortunate to receive excellent attention from the Glebe Centre’s nurses, personal support workers and support staff. They were with her until the end and the family thanks them for the kindness Ruby was shown.
A celebration of Ruby’s life will be held at O’Sullivan’s Funeral Home (215 St James Street, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) on May 28th at 1:00 p.m. She will be interred beside her Gerry at Greenwood Cemetery. Any donations in Ruby’s honour can be made to The Glebe Centre (made payable by cheque or online at https://glebecentre.ca/fundraising-3/ ).
Visit www.osullivanfuneralhome.com to leave condolences for the family.