Ruby Mae Sweet

Ruby was born July 2, 1926, in Croton Falls, New York. She was extremely premature and nobody thought she would live, but her grandmother wrapped Ruby in soft cloths, put her in a box next to the woodstove in the kitchen, and watched over her. That warmth, care, and love rescued her at a time when there were no neonatal ICUs.

Ruby grew up in Croton Falls raised by her grandparents, and attended kindergarten through 12th grade along with her lifelong best friend Gertrude.

Ruby attended Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, majoring in psychology, and later got a job at Land O’Lakes in Minneapolis. It was there she met lifelong friends Lucy and Al Johnson and their daughter Carole. Ruby was a respected employee, as well as being a star on the Land O’Lakes women’s softball team.

When childhood friend Gertrude married Nat Kuznitz, “Gert and Nat” featured prominently in Ruby’s life. Ruby often visited them in Flushing, New York where they all enjoyed the Metropolitan Opera, the Rockettes, and other iconic NY events.

Somewhere along the line Ruby met and married Bob Sweet, and Donna was born in 1956. One of Ruby’s many attributes, noted by Donna early on, is that she literally made friends with everyone. She could instantly make herself part of any group, and that group instantly loved her back.

In the 1970s Ruby knew she had a calling in education, and she chose elementary counseling and special education anticipating national changes in education access. Before 1975, most intellectually, physically, or emotionally disabled children were routinely and legally excluded from public education. In 1975 Congress passed the “Education for all Handicapped Children Act,” ensuring access to education for children with disabilities. After earning her master’s degree, Ruby launched her career in “special ed.” As you might imagine her students and parents loved her, and she loved them. Early on she developed connections with vocational-technical training programs, ensuring that her students and their families knew about future career opportunities. She was also famous for creating a six foot tall paper mache giraffe on a sturdy wooden frame, beautifully painted, on which generations of students in her classroom climbed and proudly sat. It was repaired quite often over the years.

Life took Ruby from Iowa to Kansas. At one point she thought she would take a trip across the country toward Florida. For some reason she stopped in Manning, South Carolina and decided “I’ll live here and teach here!” and so she did. She lived in Manning for over 20 years, was a volunteer with Meals on Wheels through the United Methodist Church, was a beloved teacher, and a friend to all in Manning.

In the 1980s Ruby welcomed two grandchildren, Will and Nina, and they enjoyed many trips with her to South Carolina, where they had great fun together during the summers. Mini-golf featured prominently in their activities, reports indicating that Grandma Ruby generally won.

Ruby retired in Manning, continuing to volunteer and enjoying friendships. Donna introduced her to P.E.O. in the early 2000s. This Philanthropic Educational Organization is an international women’s group providing scholarships, grants, and low interest loans to women. Ruby was an ardent P.E.O. serving her chapter either as Chaplain or Treasurer every year.

When Ruby turned 80, Donna and her husband Steve suggested she move to Northern Virginia where they lived at the time, and took her on tours of several retirement communities. There was absolutely no question in Ruby’s mind that Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads was the most wonderful community in the universe. Once a resident, she became a star “spokesperson,” taking future residents on tours. Ruby loved everyone and everything about her Goodwin House Community and was beloved by all.

Ruby stayed in her independent living apartment until her mid 90’s, when she moved to Assisted Living and later Skilled Nursing. She remained cheerful, upbeat, and a total joy to one and all. Over the years Ruby and Donna enjoyed visiting on the phone every night, initially reading a chapter of an Agatha Christie or Inspector Maigret book together, later just “a page and a half,” and towards the end perhaps a sentence, or just the title of the book. During her last weeks these conversations would turn more and more to “when I go to be with the Good Lord,” and she passed peacefully in her sleep on August 19th, 2026.