Ruth Marvelyn Ferraris

Ruth M. Ferraris, age 96, of Vista CA. passed away on Friday, January 16, 2015 at the Rancho Vista Skilled Nursing Facility. She had suffered a broken hip from a fall on Dec. 23, 2014, and was not able to recover from the experience.

A viewing will be held on Saturday, January 24, 2015 from 10:00am to 2:00pm at Eternal Hills Mortuary followed by a graveside service at 2:30pm at Eternal Hills Memorial Park Real, Oceanside California.

Born Ruth Marvelyn Southwick, on Sept. 23, 1918, to Edna Morrison/Southwick, and Curtis Clayton (CC) Southwick, on the family "Home Place" in South Shore, South Dakota. (The "Home Place" was her grandfather's Homestead farm).

Ruth had 4 brothers (Deward, Lester, Howard, Sidney) and 5 sisters(Vernice, Lois, Hazel, Mildred, and Clara. Clara died in infancy). All of her siblings passed away prior to Ruth's passing.

Growing up as a "Farm Girl" Ruth learned to do all of the work usually left to the men, driving a tractor, shoveling grain, feeding and milking the cows, to mention just a few.

She also learned to do the "Women's Work" from her mother. Ruth was an excellent cook, and seamstress, again these are just a couple of the skills she learned. She was also a School Teacher in her younger years, but did not pursue it as a career.

Ruth married Dalton (Dal) Meyer, who worked on the Southwick Farm as a "Hired Hand". Ruth and Dal had 3 children. A daughter, Ramona (who passed away prior to Ruth's passing. Ramona was a victim of Breast Cancer), and two sons, Maurice and Myron, both of which are still living.

In the early 1950's, Ruth, Dal and the kids first moved to Minnesota, because that is where she and Dal could find work on one of the farms. Then they packed up, left Minnesota, and moved to Vista, California. Ruth's parents had sold their farm in South Dakota, and moved to Vista a couple of years before.

Ruth worked as a waitress for many years, and for a while operated a delicatessen called the "Chicken Pie Shop", with her sister Hazel.

Ruth and Dal divorced, and a few years later, she married Joe Ferraris. Joe owned a Loquat Grove in Vista, and also contracted to harvest grapes, and other produce that grew in abundance in southern California at that time.

When Ruth and Joe got too old to maintain the Loquat grove, they sold it and purchased a mobile home. Joe passed away a few years later, and Ruth stayed in the mobile home.

She was able to do a lot of traveling when she was in her 70's and early 80's, having visited Hawaii, Panama, Alaska, Ireland and England. She made many cross country trips with friends, and her sister Lois. Her favorite trips were to the Southwick/Morrison Family Reunions in South Dakota, which are held every 2 years.

In her mid 80's there was some surgery done on her left ear, which affected her equilibrium. As she got older her sense of balance declined even more, needed a walker to get around, and arthritis was taking it's toll.

I (Her son Myron) moved in with her, at her request, to help her with the things she could no longer do.

Up until the fall that broke her hip, she was still able to dress herself, washed the dishes, helped with meals, and did the ironing, among other things. She spent her days doing Ring A Word Puzzles, watched Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy every night they were on. The only other Television that she watched was the Lawrence Welk Show. She liked to brag that she had danced with Lawrence Welk when she was 16 years old. He was from South Dakota, and early in his career with his band, they went to South Shore, where she lived, to play for a dance. Her mom and dad took Ruth along to the dance.

Her last few years were not easy. Several trips to the Hospital Emergency Room, and a brief bout with pneumonia in 2014. Those, combined with all of the other problems associated with being 90+ years old, made it more and more difficult for her to bounce back. Nevertheless, she kept going, until this last fall, which finally got the best of her.

So let us all rejoice in the fact that the family reunions that she cherished so much will be forever, and that she is through with the trials this life puts us through. For her, family values, courtesy and kindness were foremost. Forgiveness, tolerance and love of others were a way of life for her.

Everyone will miss her smile, and radiant aura.

Ruth is survived by: 2 sons, 12 grand children, 23 great grand children, and 8 great, great grand children. In addition to this, she has 30+ nieces and nephews that will miss her immensely.