Ruby Iva (Bowers) Newby

Ruby Iva Bowers-Newby was born September 3, 1929, at the family farm East of Gate, OK.  She was the youngest of 6 children born to Paul and Iva Nichols-Bowers.

Ruby attended school at Rosston, OK and graduated in 1947. She later went to beauty school [Paul’s Beauty College] in Oklahoma City and came back to Gate and opened a beauty shop.

There in Gate she met the love of her life- Edgar Newby. They were married August 13, 1950, in the Gate Friends Church.  They have lived in and around Gate all of their lives. They had 4 children:  Jim, Linda, Dan & Tom.  Their precious daughter Linda passed away March 25, 1997. Ruby lost her beloved husband, Edgar of nearly 55 years, on August 6, 2004.

Ruby spent [most of] her remaining years on the farm East of Gate. She was a member of the Gate Friends Church having joined June 6, 1976.

She was preceded in death by her daughter, Linda, and husband, Edgar, her parents [Paul & Iva Bowers], two brothers Charles [Bowers] and Jack [Bowers], two sisters-Merle Wolf and Anna Bell Cartmill.

Ruby leaves as her survivors [her sister Marjorie Henderson] -Sons: Jim & wife, Linda—Dan & wife, Earlene— Tom & wife, Robin, and Son-in-Law Max Elwood- her 11 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren [and 1 great-great grandchild] which were the light of her life.

Ruby lived on the farm around 5 years after Edgar passed away. She then sold the farm to Jeff & Miranda Newby and moved to Laverne, OK into Jeff & Miranda’s house. She didn’t like to live in town, but knew she could no longer keep things up on the farm.

Even at the age of 90 she still mowed her own lawn in town and said if she happened to die while mowing then she would have died happy.  She told everyone that she has a home on the farm and a home in town.

[Postscript: Ruby wrote her own obituary about two years before her passing.  In the last few months of her life, she resided in Laverne’s Park Pointe Senior Living Center where she received excellent support and care.]