Obituary of Ruby Sinclair

1917 - 2013

An ordinary obituary begins with the basic facts of a person's life: Ruby Laritta Sinclair, born September 27, 1917, died January 8, 2013. Aged 95. This is true, as is the fact that she leaves behind her three children: Gale, Brent, and Lorie, and 6 grandchildren: Chris Sinclair (Lauren), Megan Long (Alex), Julia Sinclair, Angelina Kling (Jonathan), Kaitlin Fontana (me) and Callie Fontana; and 3 great-grandchildren: Megan and Alex's Everett and Chelsea, and Chris and Lauren's Hannah, and more on the way. These people are all hers in one way or another, and while this is ordinary genealogy, it is also extraordinary because this is the family of an extraordinary woman. So an ordinary obituary simply will not do.

Here is the abridged version: She was born in the Alberta prairies to a Russian mother and an Irish father, both homesteaders; she was the second of seven children, six girls and a boy; she educated herself and sought opportunities to do so even after she was forced to quit school due to high blood pressure; and, in April of 1946, she married my grandfather William McEachern Sinclair, who she met at a post-war dance at Pennley's Dance Academy (he was a radio operator during the war), and with him had her three children. William — Grandpa Bill to us kids — died in 1990.

Here was Ruby Sinclair in a nutshell: proud protector and defender of family, joyful support beam, strong and singular nurturer, and a very fun person to be around.

On paper, you can break almost anyone's life down into the bare facts. But if you look into a life it tends to be much bigger and more textured than any collection of words on paper can ever capture. I strongly believe that my grandmother's life was even bigger and more richly textured than most, and that 95 more years could not contain her multitudes adequately.

She was a collection of statistics, facts and moments. But also much, much more. When I speak to others about her — which is something I do often, especially in the last few weeks — I summarize her thusly:

She was 95. She grew up in a sod house on the prairies. She still had her driver's license, her wits, her sense of humour. She had a better social life and more friends than most 25 year olds I know. An entire community pivoted on her. She was kind, she was generous, and she loved her family and friends unsparingly. She was a feminist and a humanist and everything in between. Put simply: She was extraordinary. I will miss her, and I'm grateful I got to spend some of her last moments on earth just looking at her face.

There will be a Celebration of Ruby's Life at the Cranbrook Alliance Church on Tuesday, January 29 at 10:00 am with reception to follow in the adjoining hall. In lieu of flowers, Ruby requested donations be made to the East Kootenay Regional Hospital Auxiliary, 13 - 24th Avenue North, Cranbrook, British Columbia, V1C 3H9 in her name.

 

Arrangements entrusted to McPherson Funeral Service.

Condolences for the family can be offered at:

www.mcphersonfh.com