Passed peacefully away in Halifax on March 21, 2020 in a warm embrace and loving arms with her heart filled with the deep love of her family and friends.
Predeceased by her dear father Edward Sharpe and her brother Kevin and sister Debbie. Leaving to mourn her unspeakable loss, her Carol (Byrne), her loving mother Carmel Sharpe; siblings Ted, Diane (Bernie Carrigan), Judy (David Gook), Shirley (Vincent Howard), Maxine, John (Jackie), Jean Ann (Gary Ryan), Stephen (Pamela) and Andrew (Nola); nieces and nephews Christine (Scott Davis) and Ron Carrigan, Mark and Jason Howard, Renee Sharpe, Matthew (Stacey) and Vincent Sharpe, Emily and Liam Ryan, Justin and Colin Sharpe, Jack and Grace Sharpe and great niece and nephew Brody and Sophie, the Byrne family and her dear friends/sisters of the Catholic Women’s League.
Ruby grew up on Topsail Road (Donavan’s). Family remained the focal point of Ruby’s life. She so loved her family and took so much pride in each of them. Upon meeting her, chances are one walked away with a story of her Mom or Carol or one of her sisters and brothers. She loved them and they were part of her every thought and conversation. To the end, she fought to protect them, never wanting them to be worried or burdened.
Ruby was a trailblazer and an instigator even at a very early age – from her ripping her tights climbing the tallest trees and filling her best Sunday hat with chestnuts, to countless hours at the Stadium rollerskating and later, driving her motorcycle through places that will remain unnamed. She loved music and dancing and would quickly scan any room to determine who was around to do the jive with. In adulthood and retirement, she found so much enjoyment in her garden where she spent countless hours awaiting every blossom, traveling, always wanting to experience more of this world, and her Thursday morning art class.
Never to be forgotten, her little canine companion Tobie (her shadow) who though gone for several years, filled her heart with such joy and love and she talked of him constantly. In her final hours, she was comforted by videos of him.
In her professional life, Ruby devoted her career to working with individuals with intellectual disabilities. Always the advocate, she played a significant role in deinstitutionalization efforts in this province and had been part of the closure of Exon House and the Right Futures Project. She truly believed in supporting individuals in the community and she made it seemed so simple for many of her coworkers as she mentored them and taught them to look at life through the eyes of the individual. No matter how great the challenge, Ruby could be heard saying “they’re a pussy cat” as she found the love and kindness in everyone.
Throughout it all, Ruby stayed strong in her faith and served her church with vigor and determination. She prayed for everyone and one could be certain that if you were ill or facing difficult times, Ruby had you on “her list”, a list that grew exponentially but that she remained faithful to. She so loved the Catholic Women’s League of which she was part of for years and took much pride in becoming a Life Member in 2019. She loved the League and the many ways that she was able to use that forum to reach out to those in need. She never gave up on them and even in her final days from her hospital bed, she was doing emails working to coordinate matters and ensure things were taken care off.
Ruby was loved by her huge extended family and by all who had the great fortune to meet her and we will all miss her dearly. We search for ways to fill the tremendous void in our lives left by her passing but as she would have insisted on, we must find a way to seek comfort in a life so well lived and the love that she left with each one of us.
Cremation has taken place and in light of the current health advisories, service arrangements and a celebration of Ruby’s life will be announced at a later date where we will come together to honor her beautiful life. She continues to push us to overcome the obstacles.
In Ruby’s memory, donations may be made to a charity of your choice as she would continue to want to help as many and as diverse a group as possible or simply reach out to do something nice for someone, especially in these difficult times that we face.
“I know that I can’t be with you now
And you can’t be with me
But safe inside my heart, you will stay
That’s where you’ll always be”
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Ruby Marie Sharpe June 30 1952 to March 21 2020..
Death notice for the town of: St-John’s, Province: T-N