Ruby (Beherns) BECK

It is with heavy hearts we announce the passing of Ruby Beck at the Rosetown and District Health Centre on Monday, July 22, 2019.

Mom’s story began on January 19, 1932 on a farm at Osler, Saskatchewan. As the oldest of eight children, she was always helping her mother care for her younger siblings. She was always proud that she could recite numerous Bible verses as a child. She left home at a young age to work at a restaurant in Saskatoon to financially contribute to her family. In 1949, Mom came to work in White Bear at the Empress Hotel as a housekeeper. That’s where she met a local, handsome fella by the name of Jack Beck.  On July 18, 1950, they began their wedded journey. Soon after, they moved to “the bush” near Grande Prairie, Alberta living in a rustic logging camp and started their own family. By 1951 they were back in White Bear where Ruby would remain until her move to the Southview Apartments in Kyle in 2017.

Ruby and Jack raised four daughters. Ruby had many talents and was an accomplished seamstress and made many of her daughters’ clothes over the years without patterns. She crocheted many gifts for the family including monogrammed afghans. Most people would know Ruby for her crafting of teddy bears; many made from genuine fur coats; some going to places across the globe. Her last craft fair was December 2017. Ruby also expressed her creativity through ceramics as well as landscape paintings that she was proud to display in her home.

She loved gardening, especially growing flowers and was proud of her bumper apple crops. She volunteered with the United Church, was a CGIT leader and a camp counsellor.  She volunteered with many local organizations including committees for wedding showers and sports days.  She also served on the local school board. She loved curling in her younger years and occasionally played softball. For fun, she even tried her hand at ice hockey as a goalie using a piece of plywood as a goalie stick.

Mom was a hard worker. She single handedly built a huge patio out of reclaimed bricks at the house in White Bear.  She held many jobs in the community including postal clerk, relief Rural Route driver, church, community hall and school janitor. She worked many years at Driscoll’s General Store and of course, all of the duties that come with being a farmer’s wife. Although she had a soft spot for animals, she didn’t really want them in the house. However, several times you may have witnessed a calf born in the dead of winter relocated to our back porch.

She loved music, was always humming and encouraged her girls to sing. She loved to dance and had amazing stamina; she outlasted us all at the two most recent weddings in the family, one where she had to chauffer people home and the other where she was still going strong at three in the morning.

It was important to mom that family or friends always had a birthday cake and she made many for those occasions. She had a sweet tooth and there was always a candy dish in the house. She especially enjoyed making her decadent and locally famous fudge for friends and family.

She was a daughter, wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend to many. She will be missed. Rest in Peace Mom.

Ruby is survived by her daughters Linda Beck-Reynolds (Blair), Elaine Schellenberg (John) and Brenda Beck-Baker, son-in-law Wayne Jones, grandchildren Aaron Jones (Lea), Chris Jones (Stevie), Evan Spooner (Erin), Lindsay Dukart (Derek), Mackenzie Reynolds, Jacquelyn Wickham (Matt), JT Wickham (Valerie) and Meaghan Baker (Craig) as well as being blessed with 16 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her brothers James Beherns (Laura) and Henry Beherns, sister Anne Peters, sisters-in-law Gladys Beherns, June Bay, Jean White, Sarah Jackson, brother-in-law Stuart Beck (Carol) as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Ruby was predeceased by her daughter Diane Jones (1996), her husband Jack, her parents, brothers Clarence, Bill and Walter Beherns, sister Evelyn Carrier, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law and son-in-law Bart Baker.

The Funeral Service was held on Friday, August 2, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. at the Kyle Elks & Community Hall. Interment to follow at the White Bear Cemetery.

Donations in memory of Ruby may be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation online at https://www.heartandstroke.ca/get-involved/donate or by mail to 1738 Quebec Avenue, Unit 26, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7K 1V9.