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Ruby Van Sant (Sears)
April 30, 1924 - January 18, 2017
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<div itemprop="description">Ruby’s family announces her blessed, peaceful release from her long, courageous battle with dementia. Her daughter Donna was comforting her as she “slept away” safely into the arms of Jesus. <br> <br>Born in Dykes, Kentucky, Ruby was the eighth of nine children of Alvin and Dona Sears. She grew up on a corn and tobacco farm on Buck Creek near Somerset, Kentucky. She is survived by her younger sister, Madelyn Sears Rapp (Fort Myers, Florida); 5 children (Fran Cormack, Dr. Donna VanSant, Jessie Lee Van Sant, Ben Van Sant, Rebecca Van Sant); 9 grandchildren (Tami, Starlight, Christa, Forest, Fraser, Jesse, Leah, Max, Chase); and 6 great grandchildren (Lexa, Elijah, Aurora, Astrid, Tayden, Rory). Ruby was predeceased by her first husband, Vernon Vaughn Van Sant (1991), her second husband, Galen Winsor (2008) and her son-in-law, Tom Cormack (2016). <br> <br>Ruby married Vernon Vaughn Van Sant Jr. in 1939. He was her high school sweetheart, three years older and the son of the high school principal, Jessie Milton Van Sant. After Vernon returned from World War II (U.S. Navy from 1943-1946 in the Pacific), the family settled in Ashland, Kentucky where Vernon began his successful career in the oil and gas industry with Ashland Oil and Refining Company. In 1952, they were transferred to El Dorado, Arkansas and in 1954, immigrated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In the late seventies, Ruby moved to California and then to Denver, Colorado. After the diagnosis of dementia, she returned to Calgary for ten years and then for the last three years, she lived in the loving community at the Silverado care home in Bellingham, Washington. <br> <br>During her years in Calgary, she was an active member of Grace Presbyterian Church, belonging to Who Shi Lo Women’s Fellowship. She studied sewing and design at SAIT. Being the ultimate bargain hunter, she was known for her creative eye and her ability to refinish furniture. She always claimed “I can make that perfect!” Her home was one of warmth and beauty. She was gifted in needle arts and crafts—making lovely clothes for the children (and even their dolls), making drapes and slipcovers, reupholstering furniture and mastering decoupage. Her children were always beautifully dressed and coiffed. She made sure that her children had every opportunity in music lessons, athletics, art and dance lessons. She made the best pies! <br> <br>A Memorial Service and Celebration of Ruby’s Life will be held in the sanctuary of Grace Presbyterian Church (1009 - 15 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB) on Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. <br> <br>To express condolences, please visit: www.mountainviewmemorial.ca. <br></div>