Tribute to Aunt Ruth (by moms niece Sheila Taylor )

Where does one start to give you a glimpse of the woman Ruth Massey was in a few short minutes? She was a beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and friend to so many but to me she was Auntie Ruth. And for the last twenty years she was the connection to my mother for me and for my children.

She was the youngest daughter of a single mother who in spite of difficult times raised her four daughters to love God, use their heads, have fun and live morally upstanding lives. Four strong women from a long line of strong and faithful women and that is our legacy.

My early memories were of how much fun it was to go to the farm. Aunt Ruth was blessed with the gift of hospitality and there were always many extra people around her big kitchen table. She seemed to take it all in stride and taught us how to be flexible. We baked with her, gardened, learned about new trends like permanent press and fortrel. She allowed us kids to explore all sorts of things but always expected us to act appropriately. In the summer she would take us on excursions to Cutbank Lake to swim. Our parents would meet after work and we would share picnic lunches. Aunt Ruth always brought puffed wheat squares.

In spite of the fact that travel was not as common when we grew up, our mothers made sure we had many opportunities to get together. With Aunt Ruth and Aunt Mai both in Kindersley it seemed to be the gathering place and the four sisters made it happen, often. I remember lots of kids and food and talking. The Hopkins girls always said “We talk a lot, alike”, and if you’ve ever been around us cousins  you will see they passed on that trait too. They always realized how precious time was together and we all remember if the four sisters were together you can bet it was recorded with a picture. They were so very close.

Family was special and we knew it.  Aunt Ruth never seemed to mind when we showed up. As we grew and our lives diversified she was always interested in what we were doing. You could always drop in for a visit and expect to be welcomed with open arms. She fed us, gave us beds to sleep in, got to know our new husbands and wives and eventually our children.

How she kept track of us all always amazed me. There are a lot of us in the Massey and Hopkins family but she always made you feel special.

After my mother died she became even more important to me. We spent many hours together whenever possible. She was my confident, always listening, never

judging, always ready with her wisdom and advice when I needed it. She shared so many stories with me and my family of when the Hopkins girls were young and allowed my children to get an idea of what their Grandma was like. I know they treasure that time too.

Our last visit was on Sept. 21 and there was the same Aunt Ruth, ever interested, never complaining and always ready for a lively discussion. You could talk to her about everything, even politics and religion. She might not have agreed with you but she always respected your point of view. We both commented that visiting with each other was like visiting with my Mom. And when we said goodbye we knew it would be the last time for now.

Aunt Ruth was faithful to God her whole life. I believe she fulfilled her mission on earth and that was to show God’s love in action. She just loved us all so much and the feeling was mutual. Her passing marks the end of an era but I believe we need to take with us this, remember God loves us and wants us to love others and to never forget, family is important.