John Wesley Ruby (1913)

RUBY, HARPER, SPICKELMIN, MEEK, ROBERTS, ALEXANDER

Posted By: JoAnne Walker (email)
Date: 2/3/2013 at 16:52:46

Unknown Newspaper
1913

John Wesley Ruby was born January 30, 1842, in Holmes county, Ohio. In 1849 he moved with his parents to Jackson county, Ind., where at the age of 12 years, he united with the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1855 he accompanied the family to Winterset, Ia., and at the beginning of the Civil War enlisted in the Fourth Iowa Cavalry. His enlistment having expired he re-enlisted in 1863 and served to the close of the war, receiving an honorable discharge. October, 1866, he returned to Jackson county, Ind., and married his childhood friend and schoolmate, Helen Harper, and for forty- seven years they journeyed life's pathway together.

The first eleven years of their married life were spent at Winterset where three of their children were born, Lloyd, Robert and Bertha. The next five years they lived at Burr Oak, Kas. where their daughter, Jessie, was born. In 1882 the family moved to Arkansas City, Kas., where they have since resided.

Brother Ruby came from a religious family. He was one of ten children, five boys and five girls, all of whom were baptized in infancy and later received into the Church, and all of them grew to manhood and womanhood, had families of their own, and brought them up in the church. For the past thirty years Brother Ruby has been a regular attendant and devoted member of the Old Brick Methodist church at Arkansas City. Without ostentation, he lived an exemplary Christian life that made effective his testimony to the saving grace of his Lord. He was an ardent advocate of temperance and voted the prohibition ticket.

This good man's life came to a sudden end Saturday, July 26, 1913, while working on a tower at a sand plant on the Arkansas river one mile west of Arkansas City. In attempting to put into place the last piece of timber, he lost his balance and fell a distance of thirty-five feet, causing instant death. He leaves a devoted wife, two daughters, Mrs. C. E. Spickelmin and Mrs. F. E. Meek, both of Arkansas City, a son Robert, of Berkley,Calif., a brother James, of Smith Center, Kas., and two sisters, Mrs. William Roberts and Mrs. Frank Alexander of Los Angeles, Calif.

The funeral services were held in the First Methodist church Thursday morning, July 31, at 10 o'clock, conducted by the writer, assisted by Dr. E. A. Hoyt, a former pastor and long-time friend of the family. The body was laid to rest in Riverview cemetery. - L. M. Riley

Gravestone Photo
 

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