Ruby M. Philpot

PHILPOT, RUBY M.

Newberry - Ruby Myers Philpot, 83, passed away peacefully at Haven Hospice in Gainesville on July 15, 2009, with family and friends surrounding her. She was born February 15, 1926, in Clifton, Va., one of seven children. After graduation from Fairfax High School, she worked at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but left to pursue a career in nursing. She entered the Philadelphia General Hospital School of Nursing as a Cadet Nurse, spending the last six months of her program at the V.A. Hospital in Oteen, N.C. She met her future husband, Harold Philpot, there while he was attending Mars Hill College nearby, and they married in 1949. She served as a nurse in the Washington, D.C., area and in Tallahassee, Fla., before moving to Newberry, her husband's childhood home in 1960. In 1961, Ruby was selected by the Alachua County Board of Public Instruction to serve as an instructor in the Practical Nurse Program. When Santa Fe Community College was founded, it became the post-secondary vocational center, and she transferred there with the program. While fulfilling her full-time responsibilities, she also pursued a Bachelor's degree in Health Science Education at the University of Florida, completing her degree in 1983. She retired from the Practical Nurse Program at SFCC in 1989 after a 28-year tenure. Active in her community, she was a member of First Baptist Church of Newberry and the Newberry Garden Club.

Ruby was predeceased by her husband, Harold Philpot, and son, Dr. Jeff Philpot. Survivors include daughter Susan Anderson and her husband, Duane; daughter-in-law Beverly Philpot; grandchildren Justin Anderson, Taylor Anderson, Jeremy Philpot and wife Krista, and Casey Philpot Smith and husband Kevin; great-grandson Waylon Philpot; and sisters Hazel Ralston and Rebecca "Rivka" Early.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, July 18, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Newberry, 22520 West Newberry Road, Newberry, Fla. The family will receive friends at the Milam Funeral Home, 22405 W. Newberry Rd., on Friday, July 17, 2009, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Interment will be at Newberry Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the American Cancer Society, 2119 S.W. 16th Street, Gainesville, FL 32608, or Haven Hospice, 4200 NW 90th Blvd., Gainesville, FL 32606.

Arrangements are under the care of MILAM FUNERAL AND CREMATION SERVICES, 22405 W. Newberry Road, Gainesville, FL (352) 472-5361.