Ruby Jean Briggs

Throughout her rich and rewarding life, Ruby Jean Briggs was a blessing in the lives of everyone she met. She was never one to worry about the little things; rather, her focus was on serving the people in her life in ways both great and small. Ruby was a loving and devoted wife and mother who was later filled with unspeakable joy to become a grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother as well. Life was not without times of trial for her, but she faced whatever came her way with grace, courage, and strength that made her such an inspiration. Life will never be the same without Ruby here, but she leaves behind a brilliantly colored mosaic of memories that her loved ones will forever cherish.

Although it was great to be an American during the 1920s, the outlook quickly changed with the crash of the stock market in October of 1929. This tragic day ushered in the dark days of the Great Depression when a soaring unemployment rate left countless American families without their homes. It was just a short time before the historic stock market crash that Gamble D. and Grace Rebecca (Brown) Shearer were pleased to announce the birth of the baby girl they named Ruby Jean on January 2, 1928. Born in Spring Run, Pennsylvania, she was the second of four children to be raised on the family farm as her siblings included her older sister, Isabell, and her younger siblings, Dorothy and Thomas. Despite the trials of the Great Depression, the Shearer family always had enough food because of their farm and actually felt rather well off. Although Ruby had some chores to do, she still had time to play as well. She was very close with her siblings and was always doing things with each other. Ruby particularly enjoyed playing baseball and singing with her siblings.

As a student at local schools, Ruby attended Fannettsburg High School, however, it was her personal life that soon became very exciting as she also met the young man of her dreams during this time. His name was Julian J. Buzz Briggs, and he was a friend of her sisters boyfriend. They met on a blind date, and he lived in the town on the other side of the mountain. Their first date led to more dates, and with a desire to spend the rest of their lives together the sweethearts were married on October 27, 1945, in Hagerstown, Maryland, as Ruby had graduated earlier that year. Together they were blessed with a baby girl, DeVona Jean Jeannie, but their joy turned to sorrow when she died at a very young age. Ruby and Buzz later welcomed three more children including Kenneth, Debra, and Christopher, into their hearts and home. Because his job at Cummings Diesel moved him to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, the family moved into a house on Oak Street in Columbia City. Buzz had been aware of Columbia City because he had once been a semi-driver. It was 1968 when they made the move to Columbia City, and their youngest child was eight at the time. Ruby had been sewing suits and tuxes for Stanley in Chambersburg while living in Pennsylvania, but once they moved to Columbia City she began working at Dana Weatherhead. She remained there for 21 years before retiring in 1990. It was also later in life that they moved into a home on Washington Street.

Ruby had a way of making even the ordinary extraordinary when it came to her daily life. Her skills in the kitchen were fantastic, and there was nothing like her Sunday dinners. Among her specialties were her potatoes and rivals as well as her apple dumplings. Rubys only rule was that everyone ate whatever they put on their plate. Ken certainly found this out when he took the last apple dumpling off the plate, leaving Deb without any. As a family they enjoyed going to drive-in theaters, and her children all have fond memories of making frequent visits to see family. Later in life Ruby and Buzz traveled around the country. In her free time, she enjoyed sewing, playing the piano and singing around the house as well as listening to classic country music. She was a member of Lake Chapel United Methodist Church and often gathered with a group there to make quilts. Over the years Ruby built up quite the collections of cardinals and bells.

With a life that spanned times of war and times of peace, times of plenty and times of want, Ruby Briggs treasured the time she spent with her family first and foremost. She worked hard in everything she did, but she made the time to enjoy life along the way as well. A longtime resident of the community she loved, Ruby was the sort of person whom everyone wanted to know. Life will never be the same without her here, but she leaves behind a timeless legacy that her loved ones will proudly carry on.

Ruby Jean Briggs, 88, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, April 12, 2016 at her home. Rubys family includes her daughter, Debra (Dave Pafford) Schuchman, of Columbia City; sons, Kenneth (Linda) Briggs, of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania and Christopher (Darla) Briggs, of Columbia City; sister, Dorothy Walls, of St. Thomas, Pennsylvania; granddaughters, Andrea Briggs Hartman and Holli Briggs Boggs; grandsons, Rodney Schuchman, Brett Briggs, Nick Schuchman, Rich Schuchman, Ryan Briggs, Tim Briggs and Seth Briggs; 20 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. Ruby was preceded in death by her parents; husband in 2005, Buzz Briggs; a baby daughter, DeVona Jean Jeannie Briggs; sister, Isabell Bounds Mixell; and brother, Thomas Shearer.

Visitation is Friday, April 15, 2016, from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Funeral services will be 1 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home with Pastor Lin Wilson of Lake Chapel United Methodist Church officiating. She will be laid to rest beside her husband at Greenhill Cemetery. Memorials may be made in her memory to Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana. To send her family online condolences, visit www.demoneygrimes.com .