Ruth Ann Flaisig

Ruth Ann Flaisig passed peacefully surrounded by family on June 28, 2020. We celebrate her again as June Flaisig, beloved mother, has just joined her in heaven. Ruthie was born on Sept. 19, 1955, in Canton, Ohio, where she grew up and attended school. She later attended Mt. Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh, Pa., and worked as a nursing assistant at a Veterans’ hospital. In the 1990s and early 2000s, she worked tirelessly in retail and customer service in Jacksonville, Florida.

Ruthie moved through the world with her whole heart every day, no matter how she was feeling, and always showed deep kindness and compassion to everyone. One of her most favorite ways to show love was through gifts, especially at Christmas. It was always clear she had spent the year making note of what would thrill us most, then setting about making it happen by Christmas morning.

If you knew Ruthie, you experienced her wonderful wit and humor, and that sort of sideways look she’d throw after landing a good one. Even in her most challenging times, that humor never left and always helped her little sister refocus on the most important parts of life: love and family.

Ruthie was an avid Steelers fan, DVD and state quarters collector, cartoon enthusiast and always willing to share her smile and big heart with people and animals. She believed deeply that every animal deserved a loving home, and gave many dogs and cats their forever home. Ruthie loved music, movies, all genres of literature, and her family beyond measure. Artist Vincent Van Gough was particularly inspiring to her, as was poet Emily Dickinson, writer Jean Shepard, singer Don McClean, and the Three Stooges.

Above all, Ruthie admired and gravitated toward people who lead with their hearts. This is why Martin Luther King Jr.’s words always brought her to tears, and Don Quixote was among her most favorite literary characters. Near the end of her life, Ruthie talked often about moving back to the family’s home state of Ohio. She and Liz agreed that whoever passed first would wait on the front porch of the home their parents built from scratch, which still houses a family today.

It is said the human heart cannot truly beat without its soul, and we are certain it was Ruthie’s incredibly strong and compassionate soul that kept a failing heart going for so many years. Ruthie is missed dearly and daily by her sister Liz, cousin Rosie Lambert of Ohio, many friends, and loving kitty, Bits. She was preceded in death by her father, Lyle M. Flaisig Jr., grandparents Gladys and Eugene Sarver and Lucy and Leslie Cosner; uncles Chet Cosner, Bill Cosner, and Leslie Cosner Jr.; aunts Suzy Cosner and Myrtle Cosner, and many other beloved relatives and friends.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Jacksonville Humane Society.