Ruby Tanner

Ruby Davis was the second of four children born to Lucille and Charles Davis in Detroit Michigan on October 15, 1931. Lucille later married William Hill and from that union two more children were born; William Jr and Patricia. Ruby lived her early years in Atlanta, Georgia and was sent to Dayton Ohio to care for her aunt while she attended and graduated from Dunbar High School in 1948. Ruby met her future husband James Lee Washington at a church revival. Ruby caught James' eye and he said he told his Mom, "See that girl with the big pretty legs? I'm going to marry her!" His Mom said, “Oh James, hush boy and don't talk like that in church." They were married September 27, 1950 and October 10,1951 in Fort Mc Pearson Georgia they were blessed their first child, a son James Lee Washington Jr. (name later changed to Hakeem Abdullah); Deborah Ardlyh and Delorie Munyette would be born in Dayton Ohio; Cecil Monroe and Erwin Vermont would be born in Chicago, Illinois. James and Ruby raised their five children in Danville, Illinois. Ruby loved doing family things, gardening with the children, teaching them to roller skate, and teaching them all to cook and clean. She was very involved in their school and extracurricular activities. Her home was the meeting place for all the neighborhood kids. Cooking and feeding everyone who "happen" to be there at meal times. After her last child was in school Ruby started and graduated from Danville Junior College School of Nursing. She worked as a nurse at Lakeview Memorial Hospital until the family moved to Portland, Oregon in August of 1969.

What an adventure! The family life never suffered from her working, her schedule was such that she was home when her children got home from school, usually having the aroma of dinner wafting throughout our home. Ruby's home continued to be the meeting place for all the neighborhood kids. In Portland she worked at Emanuel, Holiday Park and Providence Hospitals. She retired from Nursing at 65 years old and did some traveling. She enjoyed going to Korea, Australia, Canada and visiting her family in Colorado, Tennessee and Georgia. After one year of retirement she returned to nursing. Her last place of work was at Rose City Nursing Home. She was a nurse for forty nine years until cancer forced her to stop. Ruby was so proud of her family and bragged about her family every chance she got even while in the hospital. All the hospital staff new about her family. Ruby's life revolved around her family and as her children grew up and moved out they would continue to come home for Sunday Dinner. Everyone that was in town would come home for Sunday Dinner; one of her last request, was that Sunday Dinners continues. Ruby was a rock and salvation for so many people and she will be sorely missed.

Ruby Davis Washington Tanner is preceded in death by her mother, father sister Marion, and her brother Charles. She leaves to celebrate her life, her devoted children: Dr. Hakeem Abdullah, Ms. Deborah Abdullah-Smith (Luther), Ms. Delorie Washington-Finch (Timothy), Mr. Cecil (Donna) Washington, Colonel Erwin (Barbara) Washington. Ten grandchildren: Xavier, Qasim (Wendy) and Khaatim Smith; Timothy (Katie), Demetri (Neal), Christopher and Lydia Finch; Kiah, Amber and Omar Washington. Seven great grandchildren: Jaylen, Layla, Aleiya and Mia Finch, Diego Smith, Payton and Jordan Brown. Siblings: Bernice Foster, Patricia Tanner and brother William (Rose) Hill Jr., a beloved host of nieces and nephews and so many friends of whom have been woven into the threads of Ruby's family. She birth five children but had so many more who claimed her as their Mama and their Grannie.