John Preston RUBY

1915 - 2015

November 8, 1915 - December 25, 2015 "Preston", born in Grinnell, Iowa passed away peacefully in Irvine, Ca. on Christmas Day shortly after his 100th birthday. He was predeceased by his wife Margaret Jane in 2013 and survived by his three sons John, James, Jeffrey and his sister Allison Gardner of Carlsbad, Ca. He attended Los Angeles High School and UCLA where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and where he met Margaret. He served in the. 3rd Army in Europe under General Patton during WW2 where he became a Major and was awarded the Bronze Star. After WW2 he began a career with Shell Oil Co. and moved to San Marino and later to Palos Verdes Est.Calif. In 1954 he transferred to Shell Chemical Co. in Torrance, Ca. where he was Personnel Manager. He ended his career with Shell's contribution of the personnel function to THUMS, a consortium of several oil companies to develop the Long Beach oil field by building the artificial islands in Los Angeles harbor. After retirement, he and Margaret moved to Corona del Mar and Irvine, Ca. where he enjoyed golf and getting together with his 5 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren and many friends. He was a devoted husband, an outstanding role model for his 3 sons and a true and respected friend to all who knew him. Services will be private.