LEE, Ruby M.

The Camp Verde Bugle, Camp Verde, Arizona Tuesday, March 9, 2010 Ruby M. Lee 1922 - 2010 Mrs. Ruby M. Lee of Camp Verde, died in peaceful sleep on the evening of March 5th, of natural causes. She and her husband, George L. Lee, Jr., moved to Camp Verde in 1970. She was known and loved by many in the area, where she was active in the Grandmas Club. Ruby was raised in a farming family of eight children in rural Alabama. She was born in 1922, and remembers being a young girl during the Great Depression. "People would come from the railroad tracks and knock on our door, asking for food," she recalled. "The kids were scared of them, hiding behind mother's apron, but she was never afraid of them. She brought them inside and fed them." Ruby's mother was born Ellen Massey, Irish plus a quarter Cherokee, and married a tall, blue eyed English farmer, Jessie Wilson. Being raised on a family farm acquainted Ruby with the skills of self sufficiency, such as making clothes for the family, growing, canning, drying, and preserving food, and cooking it on a wood stove. Her favorite thing when she was young was working while listening to the family radio, from which originated her "stories," and the current country or rock and roll songs. She always enjoyed being playful. The sparkle in her eyes remains in the place made especially for her, inside those who have loved her most dearly. She has died but she has not passed away. Mrs. Lee is survived by her husband, George L. Lee, Jr.; daughters, Ms. Patricia Lee, of Glendale, AZ., and Mrs. Joan M. Reynolds, of Reno, Nevada; and a son, Mr. Daniel A. Lee, of Prescott, as well as four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A visitation will be Wednesday, March 10, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Bueler Funeral Home 143 W. Arnold Street Camp Verde. Graveside funeral service will be at 11 a.m., the following morning, March 11, at the Clear Creek Cemetery. Please share your condolences at www.buelerfamilyfuneralhome.com. Information provided by survivors.