Joan Leigh Ruble

Joan was born on January 12, 1943, in Aurora, Illinois to Sheldon and Maxine Witt. She graduated from Kaneland High School in Elburn, IL. She then attended University of Illinois where she met and married her husband, John. After moving briefly to Michigan, finishing her degree and having her first child, Kirsten, the young couple moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Joan completed her Masters in Teaching at Indiana University and then forged her career with Fort Wayne Community Schools. Soon her second child, John Charles, arrived and the Ruble family was complete.

Joan Ruble was a huge personality, full of great passions, creativity, and generosity. She was a force of nature and a quintessential people person. She demonstrated it through her dedication to family, friends and causes she championed. She empowered young people, through education, rehabilitation, or job opportunities. When teaching, not a year would go by without inviting her entire class to her home - a day complete with coordinated games, prizes, nature hikes, bonfires, hot chocolate and toasted weenies for each child. After thirty years of service, Joan quipped she knew it was time to retire when her five year olds started calling her “Grandma” rather than “Teacher.”

She advocated for families in her community through her work with Wellspring Interfaith Social Services. Bringing hope to hundreds of children, she spirited food pantries, provided clothing for job seekers, mentored young mothers, and raised awareness of the need in the area. i

Joan was a Thieme Member of the Fort Wayne Art Museum and Past President of the Fort Wayne Art League, promoting programs to support art. She belonged to Designer Craftsmen Guild, providing educational opportunities and space for local artists and she was a longtime member of the Gallery Committee at First Presbyterian Church. Joan spent a lifetime searching for beauty. She had exquisite taste. She believed that “style is something one is born with” and bad taste is a “condition for which there is no known cure.” She was not shy about giving her opinions on decor, furniture, place settings, food, and even thank you notes for which she was known to return to senders with grammatical errors edited. And don’t ask her what she thought of chewing gum…She immortalized the phrase “the hostess with the mostest” Exceptionally skilled at hosting parties, Joan went above and beyond in creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere, excellent menus and an overall memorable experience for all her guests. Her generosity and attention to detail was unmatched, keeping journals to “set the scene” for each one of her gatherings. Joan heartily believed that the key to a good party was to invite guests who could carry a conversation, love to laugh out loud, and could be counted on to keep the party going longer than it was supposed to go. She loved strongly opinionated - and funny - men and women because she was one herself. She valued diversity as she embraced and respected others traditions. Joan was fortunate enough to travel extensively throughout the world, from Thailand to Vietnam to Italy, she appreciated discovering new foods, new textiles and new perspectives gained from traveling. These insights often coincided with her enormous appetite for reading. Joan read voraciously everything she could get her hands on. For most of her life, she had a ritual of lying on her couch after work, surrounded by stacks of books and magazines.

With all her community involvement and her dedicated career, family was always foremost in Joan’s life, especially her seven grandchildren. She is remembered as a talented seamstress, spending hours at her beloved machine making handmade costumes, dresses, and table clothes for every occasion. Nothing in her home was off limits- furniture turned upside down into castles, flour filled kitchens with chocolate chip fights, homemade popcorn, fine china tea sets for princess parties, and typewriters with piles of paper for playing “office.” Her love of children, make-believe, and fairy tales transformed all things ordinary to Imagination Station.

Joan is survived by her husband of 61 years, John Gerald Ruble of Fort Wayne, In; son John Charles (Alison) of Westminster, CO; daughter Kirsten (Jonathan) Romm of Potomac, MD; sister Mary Lou Fowler of Charlottesville, VA; grandchildren Maxwell (Brittany), Madeline, Myles (Hannah), Mason, Miller Romm, Julia (Arthur) Rea and Tristan Ruble.

A Celebration of Life is planned for Friday, November 1st at 2:00 p.m. All are welcomed to pay their respects and share a memory. Please join us at First Presbyterian Church 300 W. Wayne Street Fort Wayne, IN with a reception in the Gallery to follow.

The family requests in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:

Fort Wayne Museum of Art

Attn: Joan Ruble Memorial

311 E Main Street

Fort Wayne, IN 46802

https://fwmoa.org/donate/joanruble/

or

First Presbyterian Church

Attn: Joan Ruble Memorial Gift

300 West Wayne Street

Fort Wayne, IN 46802

First Presbyterian Memorial Gift

Arrangements entrusted to D.O. McComb and Sons Funeral Home Fort Wayne, IN.