Ruby Eileen Finkner Brigham, age 88, passed away on Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at the Prairie County Nursing Home in Terry.
Ruby was born and raised on a ranch in Northeastern Colorado on January 10, 1924. She was the youngest of August and Sophia Finkner’s three children. In 1939 the family moved to Fort Collins so that the kids could more easily attend college at Colorado State University. Ruby Participated in the WWII cadet program, attended Saint Luke’s School of Nursing in Denver where she received her RN Certification in 1946. She then completed her BS in Nursing at Denver U.
While working as a nurse at Colorado State Student Health Center she met her future husband James Brigham. Jim and Ruby were married on June 10, 1950 at the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Collins. In 1957 they moved to Portland, Oregon where they lived for the next 50 years. She appreciated the city and the many opportunities it held, as well as the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. In the mid-60’s Ruby resumed her career accepting a position at Providence Hospital where she delighted in caring for patients and later the staff as the Employee Health Nurse until her retirement in 1989.
Ruby was a lifelong caregiver in both private and public life. She served as a church deacon for many years. She enjoyed visiting with people and encouraging them in anyway that she could. During retirement Ruby found much pleasure in quilting and counted cross stich, sharing her creations with her children and grandchildren. In 2007, Jim and Ruby moved to Terry. They appreciated all the kindnesses shown to them by the community. Ruby especially enjoyed the staff of the Prairie County Nursing Home where they always took time for a visit and encouraging word.
Ruby was preceded in death by her husband James, her parents, her sister Ethelda and her husband Tom Beede, her brother Kenneth and his wife Ada Beth Finkner who were all residents of Colorado. She is survived by two daughters: Nancy Pehl and her husband Andy of Terry and their children Leslie, Erin Elenbaas (Jonathan) and Benjamin; Jamie Knodle and her husband Dan of Seattle, WA; and a son, Jay Brigham and his wife Susan and their children Ellen and Kelly of Oakton, VA and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held Saturday, December 8, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at the Community Presbyterian Church in Terry. Interment will be held at a later date in the Lincoln Memorial Park in Portland, Oregon. Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home of Terry is in charge of the arrangements. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting: www.stevensonandsons.com.
Should friends desire, memorials may be made in lieu of flowers to the Terry Community Hospital Foundation, PO Box 66, Terry, MT 59349 or the Terry Public Library, PO Box 275, Terry, MT 59349.
Larry and Judy says
Nancy, Andy and Family, and Jay and Jamie and families,
Your mom was such a sweet lady. We are better for having known her. She was an outstanding witness for Christ.
She seemed good on Sunday when we last saw her. We know that her death was a shock to you all, but we know that she was happy to meet her Lord and be reunited with Jim.
We’re asking God to surround you with love and support as you adjust to your great loss.
Larry and Judy says
Nancy, Andy and Family, and Jay and Jamie and families,
Your mom was such a sweet lady. We are better for having known her. She was an outstanding witness for Christ.
She seemed good on Sunday when we last saw her. We know that her death was a shock to you all, but we know that she was happy to meet her Lord and be reunited with Jim, too.
We’re asking God to surround you with love and support as you adjust to your great loss.
DeLynn and Angie Meidinger says
Nancy, Andy and family: We were so sorry to hear about your mom’s passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. May God wrap his arms around you and grant you peace.
Lon and Vicki Reukauf says
Nancy, Andy and Family,
We have been keeping you in our prayers. We were so very sorry to learn that Ruby passed away. No matter what the circumstances, it is always so very hard to lose a mother and a grandmother. She was such a wonderful lady. May God gently wrap you in his comfort and peace beyond all understanding.
Cheryl Neal says
My sympathy for your loss, my thoughts and prayers are with you, may God comfort you.
Ben says
My thoughts and prayers will be with everyone tomorrow. I am thankful for the conversation Rita and I had with Grandma for over an hour last month when we were home for T.J.’s service. Her and Rita really enjoyed each other since meeting last March. I have many wonderful memories of my Grandma including the many quilts that she made for us, how well we kept in touch over the telephone during college & Nebraska, and how highly she thought of Rita.
Margie Jacobsen says
I am so fond of Ruby and always had such pleasant interactions with her at PCH. She was always so positive and uplifting. It’s a privilege to have known her.
I send my sympathies to Nancy, Andy and the rest of her family and friends.