RUBY ROSE CURTIS

Ruby Curtis, 94, was born in Gridley, IL to Nellie and Elmer Bunn. She died on Sept. 5, 2011. She married Castle Curtis in 1937 who passed away in 1984. Longtime resident of Chicago, she moved to Lakeview Village in Lenexa, KS in 1998. Ruby was an accomplished seamstress and a prize-winning quilter. When she was 50, she took up bicycling, eventually averaging 5000 miles a year on her bike. Ruby toured extensively in Europe, the US, and also Guatemala. Well known in touring circles, she was featured in articles and appeared on the cover of Bicycling magazine. She often trained on hills and sought out difficult rides including, at age 59, cycling up the 14,264 foot summit of Colorado's Mount Evans. She continued long-distance cycling, often the oldest person to finish until she was 75 years old. At the beginning of one event a group of teens quipped, "It's good we have a sag wagon, we'll sure have to pick her up." When she completed the 300 miles in 2 days, the teens gave her a standing ovation. In 1972 she was the first American woman to qualify and compete in the quadrennial Paris-Brest-Paris cycling marathon (720 miles in 4 days). Ruby funded her trips by being a waitress, mostly at Miller's Steak House on Chicago's north side. Whenever she took time off for a bicycle trip, she would quit, be rehired, start at the bottom again, and quickly rise to a favored position until the next trip. Ruby completed high school and wanted to be a gym teacher, however there was no money for college. She turned out to be an athlete of note after all. Ruby is survived by her three daughters, Carolyn Curtis of Palo Alto, CA, Ruth Lemansky of Brooklyn, NY and Virgene Tyrrell of Kansas City, MO; grandchildren, Wendy Lemansky, Benjamin, Zachary and Alexa Martin; and great-grandchildren, Alejandro Comes and Luke Martin. Private family services. Arrangements Cremation Society of KS and Mo, 5561 NW Barry rd. Online condolences www.kccremation.com (816) 822-9888)