Ruby Aileen Chumway

Ruby, born March 12, 1920 to Melville and Edith (Johnston) Harris, was the first of 6 children, and was brought up in the Durban, Kenville and Swan River, Manitoba area.

Ruby became a teacher and taught school in Mafeking, MB, married Lawrence Chumway, had their first child in 1946, and moved to Atikokan in 1948. There she kept boarders in her small home, was a foster parent, and taught school for a while. She and Louise Greig had a catering business and in 1958, when Quetico Centre opened, Ruby became the cook. She eventually taught some courses there as well as took courses herself.

Ruby was never idle. She became a clerk at the Steep Rock warehouse and then in the Pit office department. When Steep Rock closed in 1979, Ruby got a job in the mining clerical department at the Pickle Lake mine. She came home to work with contractors who helped to build the Ontario Hydro plant.

She had an active interest in her community and was always involved in trying to make life in Atikokan better. It started when she first came to Atikokan and was a volunteer with the Woman’s Institute. Ruby was recipient of the Atikokan Pioneer of the year award, Business Woman Award, Ontario Heritage Community Recognition Award of 1997, the Ontario Volunteer Service Award 2001 for 10 years of Volunteer Service. She was the founder of the Atikokan Crisis Housing along with Beverly Curtis, and a life member of the Atikokan Mining Association. If you had been a miner at Steep Rock or Caland mines, it was Ruby who tried to get the names and stories of all those who worked at those mines, so that their families would be able to go back in time and read about their relative’s life and anything that they wrote to their future family members.

Our mom and grandma has left us with many great memories. She had been known to exit a car stopped because of road construction and do the Mexican hat dance to the delight of her children and the other waiting travellers, go skinny dipping with her girls at Fire Lake, let us watch as she got dressed up to go out, take us to French Lake for the day and anything of interest that would come Atikokan’s way. She loved acting and her part in the “Little Theatre”, and became an avid potter digging and throwing her own clay and making her own glazes, having her pottery wheels, especially the manual one, which was her favorite, and firing the pots in her kiln. It was an exciting day when that kiln was opened. You never would know how things would turn out. At one point in time she was going to start a business making tile from local clay for bathrooms and kitchen back splashes. She was a part of the Northwestern Arts and Crafts organization and always took part in the new classes that were offered. Her mother taught her well in the art of homemaking and mom could sew so well you would not know if she had hand sewn something or used the sewing machine. One memory is of the coat she made while she was in Pickle Lake. All hand sewn, but the lining had a beautiful peacock on it. She loved painting with her friends, and making cards for her kids. Anyone who got one of those cards felt special. Small mice, snakes, bugs, worms, flowers, etc., all talking amongst themselves about you and your birthday or how you may be feeling. Our mom loved to garden and people would stop and comment on her beautiful daffodils or pick up some starter plants for their own gardens. She also enjoyed taking her catamaran to N Lake or Eva Lake, with Hala-Dee, Tim and Twyla. Dee and Tim were usually the ones that could make that sail boat move until they got caught behind an island. Her round cabin on Perch Lake River brought joyous thoughts to some of us and only “Gad, more work and no fishing” thoughts to others. But her grandchildren loved swim and digging for clay there She loved to sit in her sunroom that was built by her good friend and boarder, Derick, his wife, Micky, and her daughter Hala-Dee. That was her favourite room to use for her arts and crafts. She listened to music and read anything from mystery to fantasy. If you needed to know something she would tell you what book or to use the dictionary to find out for yourself. She loved words and was to battle with anyone who would “murder” the English language. She showed us where the fairy ponds and wild lady slippers in the bush were, and the meaning of hard work. But her favorite thing to do was go back to her home, to her mother, in Swan River and have a family reunion with all she loved and knew.

These are just a few memories that we have.

Our mom and grandma will be dearly remembered by her daughters and their families. Lawanna (Ken Moffatt), Twyla (Tim Kehler), Hala-Dee (Bob Cox). Grandchildren Tanys (Boyd Langford), Terry (Dawn Huston), (Cheri Moffatt), Tamara (Chuck Burch), Teilor (Jason Sharbot), Cyndel and Lawrence Chumway-Cox, twelve great grandchildren and two great, great grandchildren. She is survived by her brother Douglas (Betty) Harris of Swan River, Manitoba; sister, Mary Goode, of St. Albert, Alberta; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her parents Melville and Edith (Johnston) Harris, her brothers Morley and Wallace, her sister Shirley Mae and sisters-in-law Evelyn and Eileen.

By request of the family no service will be held. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Atikokan General Hospital Extended Care Wing. where she had been taken such good care off by all the staff that came in contact with her. Thank you so much for your compassion and ability to keep our mother alert and social for so long and the care you gave her on her final journey. I, Twyla, I love everyone of you who gave my daughter hugs, jokes, and food while she stayed with her grandma and would like to say that if was not for the staff at the Extended Care Wing we would not have had such a great relationship for the last part of Ruby’s life. Thank you, you are my life savers and angels of mercy.

Any memorial donations may be made in care of Green Funeral Home, Box 427, Fort Frances, Ontario P9A 3M8.

On-line condolences may be made in care of www.greenfuneralhomefortfrances,com