"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord, forever" Psalm 23:6
Ruby Marmounier slipped peacefully from this earth in the late afternoon of Monday, January 6th, 2020. While our hearts grieve, and we wish we could have had her even longer, she is now completely whole and healed, having exchanged the perishable for immortality.
Long before she loved any of us, our Mom and Nanny loved Jesus. She taught us so many valuable lessons which we will carry with us forever. She taught us strength and tenacity when she faced health and life challenges, as well as grace, mercy, compassion, gentleness and respect for others, all the while providing her tireless love and support. She was a Godly woman of prayer and a student of the Word, and her greatest desire was that her children and grandchildren would choose to be fully devoted followers of Christ.
Ruby was born on Christmas Eve, 1922. Just thirteen days prior to her death, our family encircled her, as she happily sang along with us in a spirited rendition of Happy Birthday. Her early life was spent in Selkirk, Manitoba where she met her husband, Gaston, on a hayride. Ever fun loving and feisty, she had arranged for them to be pushed off together! They married in 1945 and moved to Thunder Bay shortly after. Together they renovated their home, filled it with love and laughter and shared it with so many. The table was always full with friends and family who would enjoy wonderful meals, or the best cup of tea, all prepared with great care. She decided to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a nurse and returned to school when she was in her fifties. She learned to speak French and play the piano, was a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, wishing to be told just once that she was skinny, and at eighty-five became a spokesperson for Curves. She was well read and a determined lifelong learner, always keeping her mind active. Her hands were rarely idle and whether it was cooking, baking, gardening, sewing, knitting, studying or teaching, she did it with excellence and with all her might. She jokingly admitted that she despised dusting! She was the greatest shopping companion. She was a strong and independent, forward thinking woman with a warm, safe, kind and encouraging heart. She was fiercely loyal to her family and friends. She and Gaston loved each other faithfully for sixty-five years and she missed him terribly. Shortly after his death, she embraced life in Pinewood Court with courage and her usual good nature. For many years she participated in the activities, enjoyed friendships and was the president of the Resident Council.
Ruby purposed to live in obedience to God's Word. Throughout her life she faithfully served in her church and community, teaching Sunday School, leading Bible Studies and ladies' groups, visiting the sick, ministering in music, and tenderly caring for countless individuals. She could still recite the twenty-third Psalm from memory, and recently said that as long as she had breath, she needed to be doing the work God had prepared for her. Only in the last few weeks, did she express a weariness of life and a desire to go Home.
She will be forever missed by her children Beverley and Ross Johnston, Surrey, B.C., Gary Edward (her G.E.M.) and Shirley Marmounier and Judith and Jim Thiessen, all of Thunder Bay. She took great delight in her grandchildren and enjoyed attending their activities, cheering them on, hosting sleepovers, picnics and camping trips, relishing make believe, dress up, stories, board games, music and tea parties, always loving and laughing, affirming, encouraging and understanding. She will tenderly remain in the hearts of Bev's three children Heidi (Ryan Thiessen), Kent and Michelle, Gary's two children Kristin (Al Pritchard) and Kurtis, and Judy's seven boys, Doug (Jackie), Brent (Jen), Kevin (Christina), Neil, Murray (Julie), Glen (Kirsten) and Scott. She had prayed she would live to see them all grown and she did! She was blessed with a dozen great grandchildren, Heidi's daughters Lexi, Kaylin and Maci; Kristin's children Penelope and Jack; Doug's sons Hugo and Henry; Kevin's children Spencer, Brooke and Frankie and Glen's sons Carter and Oaklen.
She was the last of her family, predeceased by her parents Joe and Mary Hall, brothers Arthur, Frank and George and their wives, sisters Ethel and Muriel and their husbands, her husband Gaston, first child Lynn (stillborn) and first grandchild Jeffrey Scott.
A funeral service will be held Monday, January 20th, at 11 a.m. in the chapel of Jenkens Funeral Home, 226 Syndicate Avenue South, with visitation one hour prior. A luncheon will follow with interment in Sunset Memorial Gardens.
Life was lonely and days in her last years were long. Our gracious thanks to those few who did visit, and the staff at Pinewood who lovingly cared for her. She is proof that a diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease is not an immediate death sentence, and although her memory was impaired, right until the end of her life, she was mobile and communicative. She recognized her family and caregivers as people who were a special part of her life. She continued to love generously and she always knew she was well loved. To hasten the day when a cure might be found for this horrible disease, please consider donating in her memory to The Alzheimer Society of Canada, 20 Eglinton Avenue West, 16th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M4R 1K8.
