Ruby Marie Vance

Ruby Marie Vance

Ft. Collins, CO.

Ruby Marie Vance 89, of Fort Collins, Colorado, went home to glory on Monday, April 15, 2024 atPathways Hospice Center in Fort Collins.

Celebration of Life Services were held Monday, April 22, 2024 at Rest Haven Funeral Home in Ft. Collins.

Ruby was born June 23, 1934 at her rural home in Hillsboro, Iowa to Clayton and Nellie Marie (Van Winkle) Mills. She was raised on the Quaker Farm south of Salem. Her house burned down when she was four years old. Ruby played basketball before graduating as the valedictorian from Salem High School at the age of 16. She went on to attend William Penn College in Oskaloosa, Iowa on a basketball scholarship. It was there that she met her first husband, Harry Penland. After they divorced, she married Terry Vance of Carthage, Illinois. Ruby kept busy helping on the farm and would bring lunch out to the hired hands in the field. She would even drive the tractors and big trucks when needed.

She played on a softball league, was a member of the Eastern Star, and was an avid square dancer. Ruby was very musical. Ruby, along with her friend Betty Hellyer, would perform on their guitars, singing and harmonizing beautifully.

Ruby, Terry, and their children moved back to Salem to make a life of farming there. She took a job as the school secretary at Salem Elementary, was on the bowling league, and later worked at Metromail, all while canning the bounty of their huge garden and large orchard to help feed the family. She was active at Salem Friends Church.

In January of 1972, Ruby moved with the 5 children to Fort Collins, Colorado. There she worked as a shipping clerk at Woodward Governor and later as a security guard at Teledyne Water Pic. She also taught CPR for a number of years. After she retired, she kept busy cleaning houses with her daughter, Sherry.

Ruby, not forgetting her farm girl roots, took up canning again and got much enjoyment “putting up the harvest.” She was very domestic and enjoyed decorating and making her house a home no matter where she lived. She loved to work in her flower beds. Actually, she loved to work and was a very hard worker no matter the task. She enjoyed painting, reading, dressing sharp, and going out to coffee with her friends. She adored her grandchildren and great grandchildren and enjoyed telling jokes and riddles with them.

Left to share Ruby's memory are her brother, Keith Mills, sister-in-law Ramona Mills and her 5 children: son, Terry C. Vance of Canyon City, Colorado, daughters: Sherry (Myron) Schnabel of Ft. Collins, Colorado, Debbie (Glen) Tilley of Johnstown, Colorado, Lori (Jon) Andermann of Lockridge, Iowa, and Colleen (Dave) Clark of LaPorte, Colorado; along with her 12 grandchildren

Brandon, Wendy, Tera, Josh, Casey, Nicole, Nathan, Kyle, Kelly, Jesse, Randy, and Tracy; and her 17 great-grandchildren with 3 more on the way.

She will also be missed by many nieces and nephews.

Ruby was proceeded in death by her brothers, Harold (Dorothy) Mills, Lyle Mills, Guy (Winona) Mills, and sister-in-law Mary Mills, granddaughter Lisa Vance, and her beloved dog, Rocky.