Ruby Gray

Interment will take place in Huron, SD. A memorial service will be held on Friday, April 9, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, 108 E. 18th Street, Cheyenne, with The Reverend Elizabeth McVicker officiating. A reception will follow at the church. Ruby Gray died on Wednesday, March 31, 2010, at the Davis Hospice Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Ruby Marian Matheson was born on April 5, 1909, in Anoka County, Minnesota, to Martin and Anna Matheson. She attended various one-room schools and completed the ninth grade before moving to Sioux Falls, SD, to work as a housekeeper. Ruby married Ralph Gordon on January 19, 1929, in Woonsocket, SD. They lived in Minneapolis, MN, and Los Angeles, CA, before settling in South Dakota. A son, Donald, was born in 1931, and a daughter, Gerri, was born in 1947. They were married until Ralph’s death in 1954. Ruby married John Gray in 1975 in Las Vegas, NV. They were married until his death in 1985. Ruby moved to Cheyenne in 1993 and lived here until her death. Ruby worked as a furrier for Eilers’ Furs in Huron, SD, for over 40 years before retiring in 1977. She was also a professional seamstress, creating original clothing and doing alterations. In 1962 Ruby was elected Register of Deeds for Beadle County, SD, and served a two-year term before returning to Eilers’ Furs to continue the work she truly loved: designing, creating and modeling furs. She also loved hand-quilting. In 1989 she designed a log cabin quilt made of silk scraps from coat linings, and the Beadle County Republican Women purchased it to be hung in U.S. Senator Larry Pressler’s office in Washington, D.C. Besides quilting, Ruby was an avid reader, often reading 3-4 books per week. She also enjoyed crocheting, creating hundreds of baby blankets, afghans, and prayer shawls over a lifetime. Playing bridge was also a favorite pastime. Ruby was a member of the First United Methodist Church, Cheyenne, where she was actively involved in the prayer shawl ministry and also assisted with the distribution of the Circuit Rider for many years. She had been a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, the VFW, the American League of Women Voters, the Sons of Norway, the Huron Senior Center, and the Choraleers of Huron, South Dakota. Ruby will be remembered by many for her beautiful smile, generous spirit, and concern for others. She also had a great love for animals, adopting numerous dogs and cats over a lifetime. Ruby was preceded in death by her parents; her husbands, Ralph Gordon and John Gray; a son, Donny; and five brothers, Clarence, Roy, Frank, and Harry Matheson, and Raymond Thorsfeldt. She is survived by her daughter, Gerri Woodworth (Kent); two grandsons, Brian Nesvik (Penny) of Pinedale, WY, and Dan Nesvik (Kym) of Burns, WY; five great-grandchildren, Brittany, Kayla, Brooke, Rudy, and Aspen Nesvik; two sisters, Viola Kucera of Portland, OR, and Lorraine Cox of Springfield, OR; and numerous nieces and nephews. Memorial donations may be made to the Davis Hospice Center, 6000 Sycamore Road, Cheyenne, WY 82009, First United Methodist Church, 108 E. 18th Street, Cheyenne, or the Cheyenne Animal Shelter.