Ruby Jane LOVEJOY

1919 - 2015

LOVEJOY, Ruby Jane
Ruby Jane Watkins Lovejoy, cherished by everyone who knew her, died peacefully on September 8th, 2015 at age 96 in her home with her family by her side.

Our sweet Southern belle was born August 20th, 1919 in Birmingham, Alabama, the third of five children. At age 17, Ruby and her childhood sweetheart Henry decided to elope. They got as far as the Georgia state line, when she changed her mind knowing her mother and sisters would be furious with her and she returned home to help out the family. At age 20, she took a job with the federal government and moved to Washington D.C. to work in the war department. There she made life long friends and reveled in her first time being away from home. Her mother and sisters wrote her daily letters begging her to come home which she eventually did. Her youngest brother, Charles later contracted polio while in high school and she was devoted to him for the next few years as he made his recovery. In spite of many suitors and travels over the next years, she had no desire to "settle down."

At age 30 she went to Miami, Florida for a few days to visit Henry and once again he proposed. She accepted and they started their new life together in the sleepy little tropical paradise that was Miami in the 1950's. For the next 28 years they made their home there and raised their 3 children, Craig, Al and Vicki. In 1978 she and Henry followed oldest son Craig out to Austin, Texas where they opened the first Domino's Pizza in Travis County. For the next decade Ruby was a pizza queen running the corporate office for dozens of stores and keeping the books (by hand back in those days before computers). When she retired from Domino's at age 70, she set off to travel the world and this she did. She traveled all over America including Alaska and Hawaii, Mexico, and most of Europe. Her favorite getaway each spring was to Ft. Myers Beach, Florida where she added to her abundant seashell collection each year.

Ruby Jane was always a joy to be around, thoroughly interested and conversant on any subject you wanted to discuss. She followed politics, religion, entertainment, science and was endlessly curious about everything. She had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and loved learning. She was always enrolled in a class of some kind. Dancing also brought great joy to her life, she loved to square dance, line dance, belly dance and clog. She practiced Tai Chi and Yoga, played bridge weekly and had a green thumb in the garden. Her bookshelves were always overflowing and in the later years her books on tapes brought her much pleasure. She could zip through the daily crossword puzzle in a flash. She would happily splurge on a family vacation for all, but religiously clipped the Sunday newspaper coupons.

She loved buttermilk, beans and cornbread, pie but not the crust, lots of steamed veggies, kale and her homemade ziti. She preferred to be a vegetarian but made an exception for a crispy piece of bacon now and then. She was a health nut way before it was fashionable and knew a transfat from a saturated fat long before the FDA weighed in. She was energetic, spry and full of energy right up to her last days.

She loved to sail on Saturday mornings and by that we mean Garage Sale-ing. She and Henry were staples on the Austin circuit back in the day. There was always something out there she wanted but didn't know what it was going to be. And you can be sure there would be a little haggling involved just for the fun of it. Mostly she enjoyed being out and about meeting and talking with people from all walks of life.

Without a doubt Ruby's greatest joy was in her children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was fiercely protective and loyal and extremely interested in knowing everything in our lives. She had no shortage of opinions, but she was always supportive, open minded and never judgemental. She praised us all endlessly and we basked in her unconditional love and affection.

Ruby is survived by her son Craig Lovejoy and wife Donna of South Carolina, son Al Lovejoy of Austin and daughter Vicki and husband Gerald Lamar of Austin. She is survived by her four grandchildren Jennifer Lovejoy (& Garrett), Hanalei Myers (& Merritt) , Andre Lamar, Jamilee Lamar (& Thomas), and her five great grandchildren James, Rylan, Siena, Nalo and Maylen; Sister-in-laws Joyce Watkins of North Carolina and Evelyn Watkins of Alabama; Niece Pat Tyler and nephews Bob Watkins and Tom Watkins.

We would like to thank our many friends who have sent an outpouring of love to us this week. Your heartfelt words and sentiments have eased our sadness of our loss of this beautiful shining star in our lives. The family will gather in the near future to celebrate Ruby's remarkable life.

"Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven, Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow