Ruby Lucille (Newbery) Hart died early Wednesday morning, February 7, 2018 at her home in Gilroy, California.  Ruby was born on October 28, 1922 in Jacksonville, Illinois to Roy W. Newbery and Sarah Lucille (Allison) Newbery.  She was the third of five siblings and was raised on the family farm.  She was a graduate of the University of Missouri, Columbia, with a B.A. in Liberal Arts (French and Music) where she met and became engaged to her future husband William (Bill) C. Hart, a farm boy from Kansas who was attending the Army Specialized Training Program as a soldier during WWII.

Ruby and Bill married on June 21, 1944 at Camp Rucker near Dothan, Alabama where Bill was stationed.  The $50/month allowance for a private's wife was not enough to live on and because no one in town would hire a "Yankee," Ruby found employment as a secretary at nearby Napier Air Field.  When Bill shipped out to France in December of 1944, Ruby relocated to Kansas to be near Bill's parents and worked in the Fairmont Creamery until Bill's safe return from Europe.

Ruby's last paying job was working in the Office of Veteran's Service Office at Kansas State University while Bill attended school and graduated with his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering on the GI Bill in 1948.  From then on Ruby was a full time homemaker but she never confined herself to home.  She was always active in community life and set a quiet example for everyone by volunteering on many different fronts, including church, school events, local service clubs and youth organizations as a Cub Scout Den Mother, Brownie and Girl Scout leader and 4H Cooking leader.  As her children grew and left home, the focus for her community service shifted, but her history of volunteering was steady and long term.  She remained active in the Girls Scouts for 35 consecutive years serving 15 years as Registrar in Gilroy.  She volunteered as a cashier at the Gilroy Garlic Festival for the Lions Club for 30 years, as a violinist with the South Valley Symphony for 10 years, and served as a pink lady at the front desk for 25 years at South Valley and then Saint Louise Hospital.  She and Bill are active members of the Gilroy Presbyterian Church.  Ruby was a lifetime member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Gilroy Historical Society, Jacksonville Genealogical Society, and Passavant Area Hospital Auxiliary in Jacksonville, IL.  Proud of her Mayflower heritage and family history, Ruby was a charter member of the Betty Alden Chapter of the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century, as well as one of the 38 Charter Members of the Gabilan Chapter of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution.  Although never a member, she also tirelessly supported her husband's activities in the Lions Club from his very first year as a member in Kansas through all 64 years to his current membership in Gilroy.

Ruby loved gardening and taking care of her indoor geraniums and African violets for which she had a magic touch.  Music and the performing arts were also a large part of her life as both participant and supporter of local music and theater organizations.  Everyone knew her as a very kind and gentle soul.

Ruby is survived by two of her four siblings, Wilhelmina "Dolly" Findley of San Antonio, Texas and Elizabeth Dieckamp of Indianapolis, Indiana.  She is also survived by her husband Bill; sons Jeffrey (Beverly) Hart of Valley Springs, David (Joycelyn) Hart of Davis and daughter Patricia Karr of Carpinteria; five grandchildren, two great grandchildren and nine nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her parents, Roy and Lucille Newbery and her older siblings, John G. Newbery and Ella Marie (Newbery) Hunt.

A funeral service is at 2:00PM on Sunday, February 25, 2018 at Gilroy Presbyterian Church, 6000 Miller Avenue, Gilroy, CA, 95020.  Pastor Trevor Van Laar and Pastor Bruce Rowlison will be officiating.  A private family burial will be at the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery near Santa Nella.  In lieu of flowers, any donations made in Ruby's honor can be made to Gilroy Presbyterian Church at the address above or in her name to the donor's charity of choice.