WINECK, Mary Ruth

The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Monday, March 05, 2012 Mary Ruth Wineck It is with great sadness that the family of Mary Ruth Wineck announces her passing at the end of February 2012 following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Her final days were spent at home surrounded by her family and the wonderful caregivers from Hospice of Arizona. Her journey began in Prescott, Ariz., in January 1926. She grew up on her father's dairy farm in Prescott and then headed out for the adventure of a lifetime, traveling to the Alaska Territory in 1949 where "the men outnumber the women 10 to 1". She worked at a variety of employers in Alaska including the weather bureau and a local investment office and then later as a flight attendant. She made friends quickly and in 1950, she met the one that would stand by her side to the end, Raymond Wineck. They were married in October 1954 and their first child, Suzanne was born in 1956. In 1957, they had a son, Edward, whose health concerns brought the family from the State of Alaska back to Mary's home state of Arizona. They settled first in Prescott where a third child, Michele, was born in 1961 and then a few years later on the outskirts of the growing berg of Scottsdale, Ariz. In 1968, Ray's job with the Santa Fe railroad transferred the family briefly to Southern California where Mary worked for General Dynamics in Pomona. Upon returning to Scottsdale in 1971, Mary went to work for the VA Medical Center in Phoenix. She retired from the VAMC in 1989 and was blessed to be able to help care for her first grandson Vincent who was born in 1990. In 2000, Mary and Ray completed the circle by settling back into their Prescott home on Park Avenue to live out the remainder of their retirement years. Mary is survived by her husband Ray Wineck; her son and daughter-in-law Dr. Edward and Renee Wineck of Green Bay, Wis.; her daughter and son-in-law Michele and Bob McGriff; and nine grandchildren Vincent, Brandon, Justin, Hayden, Raquel, Benjamin, Micah, Jonah and Elijah. A memorial service was on March 3, 2012, at 11 a.m. at Glendale Nazarene Church in Glendale, Ariz. For those who wish to make a memorial contribution, please contact the family for information. Information provided by survivors. Note: Mary Ruth's parents were Carl Wood Clark and Mae Lillian Miles per Arizona Birth Certificate and she was born on January 10, 1926.