Howard F. Ruby

March 28, 1935 - April 28, 2025 Known for his entrepreneurial spirit and love of adventure, Howard Ruby was always a man with vision, even as his physical vision failed him.

Howard was the Founder and Chairman of Oakwood Worldwide, at one time the largest global provider of temporary furnished apartments with locations in 50 states and 86 countries. He guided the firm through its 50-year evolution into the global leader in the specialized hospitality niche of fully furnished, extended stay apartments.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Howard's entrepreneurial and pioneering spirit was evident early in life, starting his first lemonade stand at the age of 5 followed by delivering newspapers and cutting lawns.
He was a graduate of the Wharton School of Business and after college he joined the Navy where he was a supply officer. Upon completion of his service, he started a real estate partnership in California that led to the formation of R&B Realty Group in 1960. In 1965 they launched the legendary South Bay Club which were the first furnished apartments for singles. In the 70's, the concept evolved into the first fully furnished apartments with household items and housekeeping – it was the birth of corporate housing and led to the formation of Oakwood Corporate Housing in the late '80s. Fortune magazine dubbed him the "father of corporate housing" in a 2014 profile.
Howard's adventurous spirit and love of photography led him to travel the world many times, visiting dozens of countries and remote locations. Believing that one intensely expressive image could have a greater lasting impact than hours of video or pages of text, his photography captured a sense of drama, and he became an expert at producing awe-inspiring horizontal and vertical panoramas.
His adventures took him on numerous trips to the Arctic to photograph this dramatic area and the amazing polar bears and cubs that live there. After witnessing the effects of global warming first-hand and seeing the bears' plight, he was moved to create the Climate Classroom Kids Website and ultimately partnered with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) to develop an educational outreach program that used his emotional and dramatic photographs of melting ice and threatened polar bears to educate children, as well as adults, about the dangers of global warming. For his efforts, he was named the 2007 Conservation Photographer of the Year by NWF and the Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice Awards.
He donated major bodies of his photographic work to the University of California Ronald Reagan Hospital and University of California Santa Barbara School of Environmental Sciences. Howard's philanthropic efforts also included a major gift to the University of Iowa-Institute for Vision Research. His endowment accelerated the Institute's effort to create living retinal grafts from patient-derived stem cells. Howard's gift also provided funding to establish a laboratory dedicated to studying Usher syndrome.
Despite being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited, degenerative eye disease that causes severe vision impairment, Howard continued taking photos for many years, taking advantage of the expanded vision he gained through a camera lens. As the disease claimed more of his vision, he began rowing, working with a coach and competing in rowing competitions until he was in his late 80's. He even relocated to a boat, christened the "Active Octo" so he could pursue his love of rowing, spending every day intently focused on improving his form. It was here that he began sharing his love for the water – and karaoke – with family and friends. He usually ended the night with his favorite Frank Sinatra tune, "My Way," and everyone began lovingly calling him "Commodore." Howard is survived by his three children, Steven Ruby, Michael Ruby, and Donna Ruby-Hill, 12 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his daughter, Tracy Ruby, his wife, actress Yvette Mimieux, and his brother, Ken Ruby.
A visionary that lost his physical vision, a pioneer that forged the path to furnished corporate housing, a photographer that opened eyes to the risks of global warming, a beloved father, friend and mentor, Howard did it all his way.